Contrabass Conversations

Radio Hour is a new idea that I'm testing out.  

In each episode, I take one topic and explore multiple perspectives from past guests.

Winning the Audition was my first experiment with this type of f…

News Hour is my new experiment—let me know what you think!

Send me news and feedback at [email protected]

This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex …

When I got the podcast going again in 2015, I knew that I wanted to do "round two" interviews with past guests. Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist and USC Thornton School of Music professor David Allen…

Rob Anzellotti and I had been planning on doing an interview.  When we realized that we would both be in Prague for BASS2016, we made plans to meet up and chat about capos, extensions, and other sort…

Florian Pertzborn launched the European Orchestra Experience Award for the BASSEUROPE Orchestral Competition this year in Prague.

• 1st prize: Luzia Vieira
• 2nd prize: Zuzana Blaho…

It was such a pleasure to catch up with Petia Bagovska in Prague for BASS2016!  I've known her for years.  We used to play in some orchestras together when we were both living in Chicago.  

When we b…

I’m so thrilled to announce that Winning the Audition is now available! You can get it in paperback, ebook, and Kindle formats, and links to all of this are available at winningtheaudition.net.  More…

I had the good fortune to meet Yung-chiao Wei back in 2000 at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan.  She was wrapping up her time with the New World Symphony and was just about to start new new positi…

I'm thrilled to announce that my new book Winning the Audition will launch on Thursday, November 17th.  This book expands on the content provided in the Winning the Audition podcast series.

Reuben Rogers and I got connected through our mutual friend Allan Santos.

I wasn't even sure where to begin with a player like Reuben.  

I mean, he has played with Charles Lloyd, Wynton Marsalis, Jos…

What happens if you get hired to teach double bass... and there are zero students?

That's what George Amorim faced when he joined the faculty of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Alexandre Ritter has become a champion of Armando Trovajoli's work Sconcerto.

Once you hear this amazing piece, you'll understand why.  

Written for Franco Petracchi, this work has been largely unpla…

Dennis Bergevin and I have a lot in common.

He's a bass player.  Me too.

He taught public school orchestra.  So did I.

I totally identify with that.

For Denni…

I first learned about Cornelia (Corky) Watkins through my friend Jeremy Little.  Jeremy and I used to teach together in Illinois.  He is a proponent of a style of music teaching called Comprehensive …

Johnny Hamil has dedicated his life to teaching bass. Starting out as a music education student, Johnny met George Vance at an International Society of Bassists Convention, and his life has never bee…

I love episodes like this.

Garrett Hope of The Portfolio Composer and I wanted to feature each other on our podcasts.

So we chucked the script, flipp…

Szymon Marciniak played a killer recital in Prague for BASS2016. Here's a great photo from that standing-room-only event.

David Heyes needs no introduction.

Since founding Recital Music over 20 years ago, David has brought the music of composers like Tony Osborne, Teppo Hauta-aho, and Simón García to countless bass play…

Jonathan Haskell may very well be the world’s most interesting man.

He’s a bassist. In a great orchestra: L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande in Switzerland.

Also, he’s the president of the musician’s u…

Allan Santos and I met 15 years ago at the Britt Festival in Oregon. I vividly recall drinking beer with him at the bar while Dave Anderson shot pool in the corner.

After studying with players like S…