It was such a treat to head to Atlanta for a few days and work with Gloria Jones Allgood‘s wonderful double bass studio!
About Gloria
Gloria Jones Allgood joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at age 20 in 1984, just before completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Double Bass Performance at The University of Michigan.
Born into a musical family in Greenville, SC, she studied violin and piano until age 12 when she started studying the bass. She was a member of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra for five years before college, soloing with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra at age 14. Six of her summers were spent at Interlochen Center of the Arts, studying with Lawrence Hurst, Oscar Zimmerman, and Jack Budrow. She also studied with her late husband, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Principal Bass Ralph Jones for two years in high school. While at The University of Michigan, Allgood was Principal Bass of the Flint Symphony Orchestra from 1982-1984, and she received the Mitslav Rostropovich Award for Outstanding Musicianship. She studied on Full Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival in the summers of 1983 and 1984, studying with Stuart Sankey.
Joining the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as a section player, she was promoted to Assistant Principal in 1989 and to Associate Principal in 2001. Additionally, she served as Acting Principal Bass during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons. She teaches privately, coaches the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, participates in the Talent Development Program and has performed in many chamber music groups around Atlanta. She presently holds the Lucy R. and Gary Lee Jr. Associate Principal Bass Chair.
Gloria Jones Allgood is married to musician and recording engineer William Allgood.
Heading to Atlanta
My flight from San Francisco International Airport was delayed 6 hours (!), making for a late night airport pickup for Gloria. We had a great time talking all things bass and getting to know each other.
After a good night’s sleep, I got to sit in on several of Gloria’s high school students. She has a strong private double bass studio, and I picked up several tips while observing her work on Dragonetti, Eccles, and other canonical works for the double bass.
Hanging with Michael Kurth
I’ve been a huge fan of Michael Kurth‘s compositions for years. We have a huge variety of his works for bass in our store, and it has been a treat to work on them for videos and in-person events.
It was awesome to get to spend some time with him. He took me over for a righteous Mexican seafood meal at Plaza Fiesta, which was great pre-masterclass fuel. 🙂
Master Class
I heard a ton of great bass playing that evening, and I learn so much from every chance to work with students like this. Most of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra bass section was at the class, and it was cool to hear their students play and offer some feedback.
After the master class, I had a great hang with a bunch of the ASO bassists. I love learning about what it’s like playing in different orchestras and the vibe of different sections. This is a cool bass section!
Middle School Visit
The next morning, Gloria and I visited Palmer Middle School 7th graders and talked about our careers. She has such great energy and fascinating stories, and it was so cool to learn about life over the decades in the ASO.
Gloria and I even got a chance to break out some 1/2 size plywood basses and read down a few duets for the students.
We got in an interview for my podcast that final afternoon, and we were able to spend a few more hours trading stories before I had to fly back to San Francisco.
What a great trip–the Atlanta double bass education scene is strong!
