Dominik Wagner returns to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation recorded during his visit to San Francisco for the 2026 Golden Gate Bass Camp. A prizewinner for many major solo competitions, Dominik has built an extraordinary career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and pedagogue, with albums including Giovanni Bottesini – Revolution of Bass, Chapters – A Double Bass Story, and Double Bass Rhapsody. He currently teaches at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and his work continues to expand what is possible on the double bass.
We dig into Dominik’s daily “musical hygiene,” his thoughts on posture, motion, sound, vibrato, setup, great instruments and bows, and how teaching keeps pushing his own playing forward. Dominik also shares what he looks for in students, how he approaches auditions and the German-speaking orchestral world, why competitions should reward compelling soloists and creative programming, and how the bass community can continue to evolve while honoring tradition.
This conversation has been edited for clarity.
Dominik’s Experience in the US
Jason: I have Dominik Wagner in my place, and we have been so thrilled to have you here in San Francisco. This is like a dream come true.
Dominik: I had a great time here. It’s so great to be here.
Jason: To get you here in San Francisco, and then here in Double Bass HQ — yes, with the fitting mugs, even better. And we just had a fantastic week, very American, and I think fantastic.
Dominik: I think so too.
Jason: And to hear you play and to get to be part of seeing you teach all these great students — this is a dream come true. Thank you.
Dominik: Oh, I’m also extremely happy to be here. I had a lot of fun so far. And yeah, extremely American meaning: you know, a base camp where you have beginners, advanced students, and professionals — not only upright bass players classically, but also jazz players and bass guitar players. I think that is so cool. I think that is so exciting to bring everyone together and to have this feeling of community. I was talking a lot about that with Jeff Bradetich, because he started the first ISB Conventions. This feeling of “let’s all get together, no matter what we do inside the bass world, and have a great time” — I think that is beautiful, and I really love it.
Jason: Jeff Bradetich has been somebody that we’ve both known for decades. When I was 15 years old, my first bass camp similar to this one — it was in Chicago, and he was teaching there, and I came and got to watch him. And then, fast-forward several decades, I got to see you perform in Texas and be the first-place winner in the wonderful Bradetich competition, and all the amazing music you played and the fantastic way you played it. It’s really cool that Jeff has been a part of both of our lives over the decades.
A Diversity of Approaches
Dominik: A very decisive part, I think. And for me, this is actually the most exciting part whenever I’m in the US about the bass world — this openness, this interest, this huge diversity of approaches. I mean, I play a five-string bass with an extension, a high D string, an extremely long fingerboard, and a bow that weighs 216 grams. That was like my highlight of this week — like the Donovan Stokes bass, so amazing. And it really works; it feels great.
The fact that people do all this kind of stuff. I think tradition is important — to see what we can take from the past and what is very valuable there. But also, at the same time, to always try new things, to see what could work, what could be a great addition. And this kind of thinking is so important for the future because the world is always evolving, and if we evolve with it, that’s the way to go.
Jason: I’ve always thought of it as a double-edged sword. We’re such a new country — and this is true of Australia, Canada, and other places in the New World — we don’t have the tradition. But that’s also freedom. Who cares? French bow, German bow, standing, sitting, five string, solo tuning with an extension or regular tuning. We’ll do it all.
Dominik: But you say it’s a double-edged sword, of course. Classical music — there’s also contemporary music being composed right now, but of course there’s a lot of music written hundreds of years ago. So I always try to combine these two things.
What Mahler said — tradition should be to keep the fire burning, not to glorify the ashes — I think that is beautiful.
And my fire keeps burning when I try a five-string with extension and a high D string. To me, that’s like, wow, that is so cool. Why not? And it works great! And on the other hand, I love playing the standard repertoire, learning how all the orchestras in Europe approach things core soundwise, musicwise, and languagewise. I think both can be exciting and beautiful.
Fundamentals and Daily Routine
Jason: I’ve heard you play; I’ve been a fan ever since. But also to see how an artist of your caliber works — how do they work with students, how do they work in general? The more I’ve talked with people at the top level, the more I’ve heard about fundamentals. And what did Dominik want every day at base camp but to spend time on the bass working on fundamentals? What are your fundamentals? What do you do when you go back to Austria, or you’re on the road — how do you begin your day on the double bass?
Dominik: That’s a great question because it is so important for me, especially now when I have to teach so much. I love to teach so much, but it’s sometimes difficult to find time for myself on the bass. It is important to get at least a certain amount of time so I can stay in shape, because I want to be able to play well; I need to be able to play well.
So I have a set of exercises I do every morning. Of course, that set changes depending on how I feel — I think that’s also important for everyone who wants to have a routine. A certain routine is important, but flexibility within that is also important.
For me, it’s first a combination of just sitting and posture exercise — before I actually start playing a single note. I see how my posture is, how I sit, how I feel. Then I often do glissando exercises across different octaves to feel comfortable with the bass. And then I do a lot of scales in different ways — sometimes just up and down, sometimes specific scale exercises depending on what I feel gives me a great feeling. And often a lot of very slow scales, so I can really practice intonation, because during the day I play on so many different basses.
You know the difference between cellists and violinists — basses are so different in size, string length, and shape. So slow scales to really focus on: am I hitting exactly the right pitch? This is also ear training and focuses heavily on sound while practicing scales. It’s not just a left-hand exercise — it’s a great exercise to ask: can I, in every register, find the most beautiful sound and the most accurate intonation for me personally? Because intonation is a bit flexible depending on the person and what style you play.
And then also some bow exercises. That takes at least 30 to 40 minutes — otherwise I’m unhappy. It feels like getting up without brushing your teeth or showering. That’s part of my daily hygiene. I absolutely need that before I want to play anything else. And then a little bit of repertoire depending on how much time I have.
But a certain routine where I always keep an eye on how I feel—how it sounds, intonation, color, shifts—every shift I feel, it’s comfortable; I feel good with it. This has been so helpful for me, even though I won’t say how much or how little I practice. It’s not that much anymore because I just don’t have the time. But with this kind of approach — always feeling and hearing everything I possibly can — that is the key to staying in shape.
Jason: Several great artists I’ve chatted with recently have had similar thoughts. One of our great bass teachers here in the United States, David Allen Moore, calls what you’re describing musical hygiene — the musical equivalent of brushing your teeth, and you do it first thing in the morning. Before you teach or play, that’s what you do.
Dominik: Yes, I need that before. Afterward, if I’m already done teaching and stuff, I’m not so good at it anymore. My sensitivity in the fingers and the ears is gone. So it needs to happen in the morning. I also have a certain exercise routine, mostly like mobility stuff, that I do every morning and every evening, because I think it’s also important to just feel comfortable in your body. I do a lot of stretching to make sure my hips, my legs are flexible, my shoulders are relaxed, all sorts of stuff in that direction, because if my body is tense — as a teacher, I sit so many hours, most people nowadays sit so much and that is not healthy, we’re not made to sit 12, 13, 14 hours a day — that tenses the body up. And then sometimes maybe there’s a stressful period, too much work, some difficult situations, and the body feels that. The body feels everything.
My whole approach — I said this a lot in the camp — is that your best teacher is your ears. So I need to train them. Your second best teacher is your body and what you feel. And if you are so full of tension, you will not feel that much, or what you feel will not be reliable or useful. So putting yourself in a situation where those two things can really work for you, I can really recommend it to everybody.
On Teaching and Spotting Potential
Jason: I did see your first class early in the week. You were talking about movement, and you had so many great analogies. Like how do you touch your phone? You don’t go like this — and that was so great. I pulled out my phone the rest of the week and did that demonstration because everyone knows how to touch their phone; they do it all day long, and then they go into thumb position like this.
Dominik: Yeah, that one really works because everyone knows how to touch their phone. In the end, everything we do is motion. We move, and hopefully we move in a way that will produce something good. That’s our job.
Jason: Well, I was at one of the basses in the symphony after your amazing playing on the faculty recital, and we both came together — I was like, I need to loosen up. Just watching you play the Gershwin and the Saint-Saëns, you’re like a case study in efficient movement. I see no tension.
Dominik: That’s good. Of course, I’ll be honest — it’s still there. I’m working every day, and some days it’s more and some days it’s less. But not none. I have to be so careful with this because, basically, in the last episode we talked about my past and having to deal with focal dystonia. Because of the dystonia, my motor functions were below zero — less good than a normal person who has never touched the bass would have them. So I have to really look out to make everything as healthy, natural, and good as it can be, because otherwise it will just not work at all. For me, it’s like either really great or nothing.
And through teaching — teaching teaches me so much. I always try to think about what I could do better in every single lesson to be more beneficial for the student, how I could explain it better, and how I could find an approach that works better for them. But at the same time, it always makes me think about what I do and how I could do it better. It also raises my standards because I have some students who play so well. Not just some — a lot of them actually.
That is so inspiring. I think, gosh, I have to practice. If they play like that, I’m their teacher; I should work. And then that makes me become better, and then I push them even further, and they become even better. And that again makes me want to be even better. It’s this ladder that I’ve been really feeling over the past few years, and I absolutely love it. And who knows where the limit is? Some of the students play much better than I ever will. But that again — I practice every day, and one day I will be a good bass player. I tell you, one day.
Jason: It warms my heart, and it inspires me to hear you say that, because it’s very easy for people to put someone on a pedestal. Hearing you say that is actually very motivating for people. It’s certainly motivating to me.
Dominik: Oh, thank you. Glad to hear it.
Jason: I had the pleasure of riding over with you to and from the bass camp this week, and we’ve had some wonderful minutes and maybe even hours chatting. One thing we were talking about — it’s great when you get a student who is already at a virtuosic level, and you guide them. But also spotting potential in somebody — that’s such a special skill. You see someone, and you can kind of imagine where they might be. What have you learned? Because it sounds like you’re building probably the world’s best bass studio, if not now, then very soon.
Dominik: Well, comparing to others is something you can never really know — there are so many great teachers, the level of teaching on bass is developing a lot. I just want the best studio I could possibly have. If they develop really well and then go out into the world, win great jobs, win great competitions — I can see I helped somebody have a future as a musician where they can make music at a high level and, as stupid as it sounds, also make a living from that.
Because if you have to have another job, you cannot focus so much on your music-making. So I do focus a lot on orchestra audition repertoire because, in the end, for most people, that is the main thing that can provide income. And if you’re really good at that, you can join a great orchestra and earn a good amount of money while doing something really nice.
Spotting potential is so tricky. I have learned a lot about that, and I think it depends. I make a huge difference between accepting people now for masters and for bachelors, and the age I’ve noticed is also important — though there are always exceptions: people who are older, who just have so much talent and can still go crazy and become amazing.
Bachelor Level Students
For bachelors, there are people like Siheon Ryu, who won the ISB competition, the Bottesini competition, and just won second prize at another competition. He was insane from the first moment. The first time we worked, he must have been about 16 or something, and played Bottesini Air and Theme in G minor, and I was like, gosh, wow. That’s a different kind of work from what most people do. But for most people applying for a bachelor’s, I try to see—do they have a good sense of sound? A really good feeling for sound. They can make a lot of mistakes in the entrance exam; I don’t care, but how is their sound? And then do they have a good feeling for vibrato? If somebody plays well but their level of sound and colors they can produce is very limited, opening their ears to that can be tricky.
What I’ve really been looking for in the last entrance exams is how the connection between emotion and sound works. Do they make music? Do they speak? Do they show me something during the audition?
If they can do that, even if they make mistakes and even if their technique is not yet developed, I don’t care — I can teach them the technique. But if they have this way — I always say emotion is motion. The best movement comes if you have emotion in music. If every movement, every note has an emotional meaning, whatever that might be, if that comes instinctively to someone — you just need to teach them how to play bass, and that’s not a problem. Music is a language, and that’s something I look for a lot.
Masters Level Students
For masters, because it’s such a limited amount of time — two years, maybe three — I only take people who are already really quite far in this direction, who have a style and a way of playing that already fits very well for the market in the German-speaking area, and I can just add the extra 20 or 30 percent they need to then go and be absolute monsters. And then there are exceptions — people who already can really play. I don’t say forget everything; we start from zero. If somebody already can do so much, I just want to let them fly and have the best time they possibly can.
Then a lot of the work is also consultation. Which competitions do you want to do? You look at the jury and see where there might be less political influence. Some competitions — if you’re not studying with a person from a certain school, you don’t even have to go. So trying to understand, where can you actually go and have success? What kind of repertoire should you specifically play?
And for orchestra auditions, I get it — you need to fit into the style of a specific orchestra. But for competitions I totally disagree. I think whoever is just a great solo performer who can convince an audience, including non-bassists, should win these competitions.
But that’s, unfortunately, we know — that’s always a lot of luck and a lot of politics involved. I was lucky enough to have won so many prizes, and I see now that was also luck. I see people play so well so often, and sometimes they get kicked out in the first round. It’s often just a matter of luck and politics. So, kind of, this consultation —and also when to go for auditions, which instrument and which bow to play on—that is a huge thing, because depending on where you are in the world, you need a certain kind of sound.
Instruments, Setups, and the Importance of Good Tools
Jason: You and Hal Robinson are both very much on the same page about several things, and one is just instruments and the critical importance of getting students on quality instruments. Hal is so happy about the group of world-class instruments that Curtis has assembled — the students learn on them, then get their orchestra jobs, the bass goes back to Curtis, and they find their own instruments. And I think it’s really cool how you have become a bit of an instrument acquirer yourself for your students. Playing a truly great instrument helps you develop — it’s almost like there’s a barrier, and certain things can’t come until you have an instrument with a voice.
Dominik: And a bow. That is absolutely true. Actually, for me that goes back to my teacher Dorin Mohr. He had about six basses that he gave to the students to play on — six of his own basses, and then the university in Nuremberg had some as well. Also a lot of bows. And for those who didn’t have enough money, he was always looking and finding instruments for them to try. If you really want to have a great class, you have to go way beyond just “I have my 90 minutes a week, and then you go and leave me alone.” That’s not how it is.
Fortunately, the university in Vienna actually has about 20 basses or something, maybe even more. A lot of those are just for the projects in the orchestra, because there are so many kinds of orchestras — not just a normal student orchestra, but an orchestra for the conductors, an orchestra for contemporary music, and so many different kinds of orchestras for different kinds of projects. Then there are quite a few basses the students can use for solo playing — currently two Viennese basses, one Hindler, one Thir, two Fleischer basses. Those are all old Viennese basses, which are normally horrendously expensive and most students could not afford.
Finding a really good setup for those — that’s the crazy thing; that’s where I’m learning so much now. I will actually later this year spend a few days working in the workshop of Jürgen Preyer in Arnhem in the Netherlands, just to learn to properly set up a sound post — how to move it without damaging the instrument, how to lift it if it falls, how to take wood off the bridge if necessary. All of these basic things, to learn them really properly, because old instruments, even if they’re great, if they don’t have a good setup, they will not work.
And then I buy instruments myself and give them to the students to play. On one hand, buying instruments is also a fantastic investment nowadays — if you find a good old instrument for a good price, it just explodes in value. So that’s kind of my retirement also. And then it’s so fun to see how the students who play on these instruments develop through that, overcoming any kind of barrier and just going and being absolute monsters on the bass.
Currently, whenever I have some money left, I buy basses. I used to buy a lot of bows, but now I have enough for everyone. When I came to Vienna, I said, “If you want to hire me, you need to buy some bows for the students to play, because if you don’t even have a good bow — a good bow comes first.” And the school said, “Yes, here is some money; buy some good bows for the students.”
I was like, wow, okay, that’s nice. So everyone has a good bow — that’s already done. But that’s easier than good instruments with good setup, so that’s something I’ve been working on a lot. And now I’m also really severely changing the setup on my own bass because, while setting up the student basses, I noticed my bass isn’t in the best setup either. There’s a lot I could improve. So yeah, I never stop learning. Every day I’m curious to see what I could do better.
Jason: And a good setup is such an interesting thing to think about. Is a good setup a good setup period, or is there an optimal setup for your brilliant Gershwin and Saint-Saëns playing that would then differ for Beethoven 5 and Beethoven 9 in the orchestra — or can we have it all in a bass setup?
Dominik’s Basses
Dominik: That is a very important question. Of course, when I played here, I didn’t play on my bass — not a bass that I put any setup into. It was a really nice bass though, I have to say. I brought my strings, my bow, and my chair. But that’s not a real setup: where’s the sound post? How do you move the bridge? How do you raise the bridge? I didn’t bend the neck — none of that.
In my bass, it has to work really well for solo playing. I also have a separate bass for chamber music — it’s a 300-year-old Viennese bass, which I absolutely love.
The old Viennese basses for chamber music fit perfectly for me. They have this nice rich darkness, but they’re kind of compact, not too big. For chamber music, I like this kind of focus where you’re also not too far away from a cello sound-wise, so that you can still fit in the string section — you’re not completely outside of that.
So for chamber music I use that kind of bass. And this bass for solo playing would not work well at all, because it’s dark and rich but not a cannon.
Solo Bass
For solo playing, my bass used to have a really round and gorgeous sound with good focus. Now I’m changing it a lot. I think I saw in a lot of bass players that I really admired, when I studied in Nuremberg, for example, that they found a way of style and identity that is phenomenal for solo playing and for orchestra audition playing. And of course in the orchestra you play a five-string, so that’s a completely different instrument — your whole approach to how you articulate changes.
I always say that when I used to play more in the orchestra, the difference between the orchestra tuning bass with five strings and solo tuning bass with four strings was as big, or maybe even bigger, than the difference between a solo bass in solo tuning and a cello. For me, that is a completely different animal.
But with the four-string basses for solo playing, I try to find a setup that projects well enough but still sounds dark and rich, because I love that kind of sound. If we think just about focus and brilliance, the violin will always have more than we do — that’s just how it is. But when it comes to richness and fullness, no string instrument can compete.
That’s actually something cello playing taught me. I used to always think, ah, I want this forceful sound from the cello on the low string, and I’m missing what the cello has. And then I started playing the cello and noticed, oh yeah, I can do these things much easier, can be much more brilliant, much more focused.
Certain colors that the bass cannot produce, I can produce on a cello. But this richness, this fullness — that’s something we have that is unique. So I really try to incorporate that into my sound when solo playing — okay, this is a bass. I’m not trying to be a violin. I’m trying to be the best bass I can possibly be, while still having clarity and brilliance so I can project, with roundness and fullness at the same time.
Jason: You’re reminding me of those master classes I had with Jeff Bradetich when I was 15. I walked into the room, and he said, “What does the bass do the best?” Resonance. That was the word he always brought up. We want that clarity, of course, but we want that character of the bass — we don’t want to just imitate the cello or imitate anything. We want to bring what we have to the stage.
Dominik: It’s fun; with Jeff, we somehow have so many things in common. Once I was talking to Paul Sharpe, and he would say, “What is your main technical approach?” and I said, “Minimal effort, maximum result.” And he said that’s exactly what Jeff always says — minimal effort, maximum result. And I didn’t know that; I didn’t know that at all. So I think there’s a lot of overlap there. I also really appreciate his playing and his recordings.
Jason: When I did those master classes in the early ’90s, one of the other students — Rachel Calin, who now teaches here in the United States — her dad had a video cassette recorder, and he recorded Jeff and made a copy of the tape for everybody in our class. The next summer I went, and all I did was watch Jeff play and learn several pieces. I didn’t even have the sheet music. And then the next summer I played at his master classes — I think it was the Moses Fantasy — and I didn’t even have the music, just from recordings.
Now fast forward 30 years and you go on your YouTube channel and see just this embarrassment of riches of great bass playing — watching someone be really free in their playing. I admire so much about your playing. I remember, on Thursdays, just your approach to sound, your vibrato, and this freedom and openness. I remember you chatting with students in one of the classes this week about your vibrato and how you approach it. How does one develop vibrato, or approach a tone? Is that innate? What are your thoughts on that?
On Vibrato
Dominik: Vibrato — well, first of all, what is important is to know what vibrato actually is, because so many people don’t. Oh, it’s a movement, okay, yeah — but physically, what is vibrato actually? It’s a change of the height of the note. You make the note higher and lower. That is what you do. And a lot of people move their arm so much, but nothing happens to the string. What matters is what happens there — it’s a rotational movement.
You rotate forward, mostly — if you watch a good vibrato in slow motion, you see there are also other aspects, but the main thing is it’s a rotation. You make it higher and lower and higher and lower. You don’t shake your arm around, but nothing happens on the string — you see that so often. Being aware of that first, what’s actually happening, helps many people already a lot.
And then I think vibrato is always emotional, always. And that’s something where you see people’s identity. I learned so much from just studying in Nuremberg back in the day. When Dorin Mohr was teaching there, you would see so many top-level students — every student would win a top job; every student, it was insane.
Especially in his later years before retiring, he let people have their identity. Some people just have a wider vibrato naturally and go more intensely; some people don’t, and that is totally okay. Finding a vibrato that fits every note, one that can have many different kinds of intensity and meaning within the world you are naturally in — that is so, so important. And that’s something I also try to help my students find. Don’t try to do the vibrato the way I would.
Every person should find the vibrato within them that fits, and in that way they can develop an incredibly differentiated vibrato that fits everything. Because if they have to say, “I have to do this vibrato now,” but it’s just not their identity — they will not be able to control it well. It doesn’t work like that, because it is against their natural identity. So, being aware of that and then just listening — does this vibrato, for my personal taste, fit this note? And asking yourself that for every note.
Different Setting, Different Vibrato
Personally, my approach is that I vibrate so ridiculously differently depending on the style. In Baroque music — if I play Bach — last year I recorded all the Bach Gamba Sonatas with harpsichord. I have to do the post-production. I love the recording, the art, and the post-production, but once I get to that… I didn’t vibrate a single note. I don’t vibrate anymore in Bach. Also recorded Bach Suite 5, and I plan on recording all the Bach Cello Suites.
At this point, I no longer vibrate to Bach. In Bottesini, the vibrato is a huge part of the expression. In Bach, if you do it, it’s more like an extra added resonance, still within a certain character. But for me, yeah, I don’t do it anymore.
In classical music, too, depending on the piece—maybe in the slow movements —vibrato can be much more a part of the interpretation. But still the articulation needs to fit the style. And then in romantic music, there I go. I personally go quite a lot. Maybe for certain orchestra auditions, that would be too much, but I don’t care — I don’t need to audition anymore. So I play concerts, and as long as I tell a story, that’s all that matters.
I take the luxury of just doing whatever I want when I play. In contemporary music, depending on the music, again a different world. So yeah, I personally really differentiate a lot, but that’s also my current identity. I’ve also seen over the years it has changed so much. If I listen to recordings from 10 years ago now, I’d say it was maybe a bit too uninteresting. And then maybe two years ago I had a phase of really going wild, and I listen now and think, ah, that’s maybe a bit too much for my taste now. It always fluctuates. Let’s see how it will be in 10 years.
On Competitions
Jason: It’s been almost 10 years since the Bradetich competition (The Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Solo Competition). I have memories of being in the room when the person offering the cameras was focusing on you, and watching your career unfold since then has been just such a delight. We chatted this week about some of the things that made that competition really special and relevant, and what competitions might do to be truly relevant or really find the artists who are going to make an interesting program, make an interesting recital. What factors make a competition truly useful in propelling the next generation of artists?
Dominik: I think, of course, there are many different competitions. It depends on what you want from a competition — you might just want to feature a certain composer, like in the Bottesini competition, or just find a great soloist like in the Bradetich competition. I found Jeff’s approach phenomenal for my personal preferences.
What he did differently was that he didn’t include many mandatory requirements. I think the only mandatory piece was in the first round: one movement of Bach and one movement of a concerto or a virtuosic Romantic-period piece, something like that. And then the second round — completely free. And I think that is so smart, because if you want to be a great soloist, you cannot just play the standard repertoire and that’s it. That’s not interesting anymore, even for violin, cello, and piano. What can you make unique in your programming?
My idea for the Bradetich competition was that, in the second round, I would only play pieces that had been written for me, written by me, or arranged by me — unique repertoire that only I play. And because that’s a big part of what I love about the bass. You can do things that have not been done before, which may shape the future.
A big thing at the Bradetich competition — I played in the final the Andrés Martín concerto. Now everyone in the U.S. knows it, but back then it wasn’t yet a famous piece, and nobody played it besides me. And I think that piece is the reason I was able to win the competition: if you play his concerto well, good luck to everyone else — it’s just unfair.
But theoretically they could have played it as well. They just didn’t. And it is just such a phenomenal piece of music that shows perfectly what the bass can do, in every register, in every style, in so many ways, while at the same time never showing just to show, but always in the service of music. It’s extremely emotional music, which I love. Finding emotion in music — in his music it’s just like, oh god, it’s still my favorite concerto out of all the concertos for all instruments ever.
And in the second round, I think finding that uniqueness is a smart thing. Also, when you do recitals and solo concertos in the real classical concert market, you have to tell a story. You have to do something exciting. You cannot just go to an orchestra and say I want to play Vañal or Bottesini — they’re like, ” Eh, okay. Maybe you need to focus on: can I do a premiere, can I do something new, what fits within your cycle, what kind of programs do you have. And in recital—can I play pieces people know?
Arrangements of pieces they know to surprise them? Rhapsody in Blue on bass, wow, you know, that’s something that can sell. And then I combine it with standard repertoire for us bassists, which nobody outside of the bass world knows. Maybe I play a Monte sonata or a Koussevitzky fantasy, then Gershwin or Piazzolla’s Grand Tango, or whatever. Finding this kind of spot.
And I think searching for that in a competition is great. What I also really liked is that Jeff had non-bass players in the jury, because there are a lot of schools — and I will try my very best to always stay open-minded — if somebody plays totally different than what I teach, but it is convincing to an audience, then in a solo competition I would try to give them high points, even if it’s totally different from my philosophy of bass playing. If it’s convincing, tells a story, makes an audience happy, and is technically good enough — then I appreciate and value that.
You name, for example, Mikyung — so different than what I do, but phenomenal. I listen to him, and I’m like, wow, this is really quite something. But that’s not always the case in bass juries. So often, I know that if those people are on a jury, this and this person do not need to go to the competition because of their style. And in a way, that’s understandable — if you teach a certain style for 40 years, it is going to be so difficult to just shut that out.
Maybe I will turn out like that, although I always tell my wife — if I do, warn me. I have some friends who will be honest with me and tell me that what I’m doing isn’t good. I want to avoid that, but it is tricky. So I do have understanding for those jury members, because if it’s your identity and you’ve been preaching this for decades, to switch that off in the situation of a competition is a difficult thing.
But that’s why I find it healthy to have some non-bass players, because they will not have a certain school of bass playing in mind. They will just listen — what is a convincing solo performance? We’re talking about solo competitions, not orchestra auditions where you need to find the person who would fit best for that specific style. Who can convince as a soloist?
So I think if I ever organize my own competition — I have the dream of doing that one day — I would definitely do it. And having a flexible repertoire requirement, to see if they can make a good program that tells a story and has a structure? Because that is not so easy. If I look back at a lot of the competitions I entered, I think I should have played other pieces. I did a lot of things wrong, and I still do, but I try to learn.
Closing Thoughts
Jason: I just can’t wait to follow along with you over the next years, over the next decades. There are a lot of downsides to these little devices we have, but one of the great things is that we can all, everywhere across the globe, tap into what you’re doing, hear you play, and be inspired.
Dominik: When I find the time to post. I’m doing less and less; I’m sorry, but I’ll try to improve.
Jason: It’s so fun for me to — oh, hi! William makes an appearance. Well, it’s just so fun. I’ve been a fan of yours since I heard you play. And I’m also a fan of all you’re doing — I think it’s so great, all the different content of all the different bass stuff you put out online for everyone to see. That is so important. No matter where in the world, that’s the advantage — people can see what I’m doing, but through what you do, people can see what so many people are doing. And I think that is really beautiful.
Dominik: Well, thank you. And I appreciate that. And it warms my heart to see you doing your own podcast, and hopefully we’ll continue — I can’t wait for more. I have recommended those episodes to so many people. I have learned so much from the podcasts you’ve done, and I can’t wait for more. I’m so honored to get some time with you here in San Francisco, here right here at the counter, but also at the bass camp. And I feel so inspired — like Andrés Martín said yesterday at the end of our bass camp, I have my own bass camp now to work on all the things that have inspired me.
Jason: Me too. I’m going to be thinking about your beautiful vibrato, just watching the freedom that you have when you’re playing. And thank you so much for making the time to come out to California, and for making the time for this early-morning podcast.
Dominik: Well, thank you. For the listeners, we started at 6:00 AM. For me, it’s not too much of a problem because I’m anyway jet-lagged, so it’s all horrible. But for you, this was quite something — to do a podcast at six. So thank you also for that. You hold the record for the earliest podcast we’ve ever done!
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