I fondly recall the very first Chicago Bass Festival back in 2009. Allan Dennis, Jerry Fuller, and I had been chatting about the need for a festival like this for quite some time. As director of the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Allan had the resources to mount this new project. Bennett Gordon Hall at Ravinia (the summer home of the Chicago Symphony) became the host site and has remained so for each subsequent festival.
This festival takes place in the first few months of the new year, which can be a chilly time in Chicago. I always feels nice to escape the cold with some great music and conversation at Ravinia!
Interviews with several Chicago Bass Festival clinicians
I’ve had the chance to interview many of the 2017 CBF faculty for my podcast Contrabass Conversations:
- Alex Hanna – Chicago Symphony, DePaul University
- Andrew Raciti – Milwaukee Symphony, Northwestern University
- Phillip Serna – Valparaiso University
- Rob Kassinger – Chicago Symphony, DePaul University
- Michael Hovnanian – Chicago Symphony, DePaul University
- Trevor Jones – Illinois Wesleyan University
- Eric Hochberg – jazz bassist and bandleader
- Ian Hallas – Lyric Opera of Chicago
- Alan Steiner – Chicago Sinfonietta
- Andrew Anderson – Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Symphony, Roosevelt University, Wheaton College
I featured several of these clinicians in my book Winning the Audition as well. It’s always great to catch up with these old friends in person!
I’ll also be featuring an interview with Jon McCullough-Benner, the new principal bassist of the Milwaukee Symphony and a great addition to the 2017 CBF faculty.
Past Presentations from Jason at the CBF
I’ve had a great time presenting at the Chicago Bass Festival each year. In 2016, my good friend Trevor Jones and I presented a talk on auditioning for music schools. You can check it out below:
