It is such a pleasure to be a part this outstanding day of double bass at Carnegie Mellon University. CMU bass faculty member Micah Howard keeps this annual event fresh with a rotating list of faculty from the country’s best ensembles and institutions of higher learning.
About the Symposium
Bringing together these guest artists to perform and work with the Carnegie Mellon University double bass students is part of what makes this school such a special place to study the double bass. I come away from this event inspired and musically energized.
CMU has been livestreaming this event for the past few years, which is a great way to connect the wider world with this excellent local event.
9:30 am – Jeff Mangone Master Class
It is always a pleasure to take in Jeff Mangone‘s great classes at the Symposium. This year, Jeff ran a master class focused on opera excerpts. Jeff has played an wide array of operas in his role as principal bassist for the Pittsburgh Opera, and I learned a lot from what he covered with the CMU students.
11 am – Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Bass Section Recital
It’s rare that an entire bass section performs together on a recital, but it happens here in Pittsburgh! It’s always a pleasure to hear these great musicians and the wide range of repertoire they explore on these recitals.
1 pm – Joel Braun Master Class
Joel Braun was recently appointed to the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s an outstanding solo performer and teacher with years of experience as playing with ensembles like the New York Philharmonic.
3:30 pm – Brett Shurtliffe Recital
Though I’ve known Brett Shurtliffe for many years, I’d never heard him play a recital before. I was blown away by the flow and expressivity of his playing. Brett has been working with loopers for the past few years, and it was incredible to be on this wild ride with him.
6 pm – Alex Hanna Master Class
I used to be on faculty with Chicago Symphony principal bassist Alex Hanna at DePaul University. I was thrilled to see that he’d be teaching a class this year. I’ve learned so much over the years from watching Alex, and I was soaking in all kinds of helpful advice during this class.
8 pm – Volkan Orhon Recital
Volkan played a recital on a five string double bass with a high C string, which opened up all kinds of cool possibilities. He’s one of my favorite recitalists, and I was smiling throughout the whole performance.
Bravo to Micah for another great Pittsburgh Double Bass Symposium!
