This week's Contrabass Conversations episode features an excellent
interview with Indiana University double bass professor Lawrence Hurst.
Double bassist (and frequent Contrabass Conversations guest)
John Grillo co-hosted the interview with me. You'll be hearing the
first part of our interview this week, and we'll be putting out more of
this interview in the next few weeks.
You will also be hearing a
track from the fabulous double bass virtuoso DaXun Zhang. DaXun was a
student of Mr. Hurst at Indiana University, and he is currently on
faculty at Northwestern University. Enjoy!
_____________
CBC 20: Interview with Lawrence Hurst and music from DaXun Zhang
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News and Notes
-new theme song! – Eric Hochberg and Jason Heath, double basses -visit Eric Hochberg online at www.erichochberg.com -thanks for positive feedback on interview with Greg Sarchet -great response to Catalin’s playing last week—more of that in future episodes -we are going to be doing our first jazz interview this week with double bassist Eric Hochberg -I was featured in the most recent installment of Double Bassist magazine in an article called Poducation.I am the Poducator.You cannot resist….
-This week’s interview was co-hosted by double bassist John Grillo.You have heard John on CBC episodes 6, 9, and 14, plus his recital showcase back in February of this year.John was a Mr. Hurst student at IndianaUniversity for his undergraduate degree, and he introduces some great questions and commentary into the interview.
After the interview, we will be featuring some double bass playing from the great young double bass virtuoso DaXun Zhang.DaXun was a student of Mr. Hurst at IndianaUniversity, and he has received international acclaim as a double bas soloist.He is current on faculty at NorthwesternUniversity just down the street from me here in Evanston, IL. Interview with Lawrance Hurst
Lawrence
Hurst is the former principal double bass for the Dallas Symphony. He
is a former faculty member of Southern Methodist and EasternMichiganUniversities
and former faculty member, associate dean, and chair of the string
department at University of Michigan School of Music. He was honored
with the Alumni Award from the University of Michigan School of Music
in 1998.
Professor Hurst is former director of the University
Division of the National Music Camp and is a summer faculty member of
the Interlochen Arts Camp.
He is past chair of the American
String Teachers Association National Solo Competition, and past
president of the International Society of Bassists.
His former students can be found in many prestigious orchestras, including Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Indianapolis, and Atlanta.
He
has chaired the Indiana University Strings Department for the past 19
years and has been on faculty at Interlochen for the past 40 years.
The Washington Post
declares, “If the bass is finally to produce a headliner, the
instrument can have no better champion than Zhang,� of 24-year-old
double bassist DAXUN ZHANG. Zhang has performed and toured with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, including concerts in Japan, California,
and an appearance at Carnegie Hall in September 2004. He also worked
with Mr. Ma to record the soundtrack to a 10-part documentary series on
the Silk Road. The series aired on Japan’s national broadcast channel, NHK, and the CD was released on Sony Classical.
In April 2006, Zhang performed Bizet’s Carmen Fantasy in YCA’s annual Irene Diamond Concert at Jazz at LincolnCenter’s
Rose Hall with Keith Lockhart conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
During the 2005-2006 season, Zhang performed with the Monroe (LA)
Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Rapids Symphony, the Columbus Indiana
Philharmonic and gave recitals at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the WashingtonCenter for the Performing Arts, MissouriStateUniversity, and in the Embassy Series in Washington, DC. He will perform as a member of LincolnCenter’s Chamber Music Society II during the 2006-2007 season.
Zhang has appeared as soloist with OrangeCounty’s Pacific Symphony (CA), Orchestra New England, and the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle (NC). He has given recitals at the IsabellaStewartGardnerMuseum in Boston, the KravisCenter for the Performing Arts (FL), the University of Georgia, WesternMichiganUniversity, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, and in The Artist Series in Tallahassee, FL. He has performed chamber music in the La Jolla Music Society Summerfest and the Linton Chamber Music Series in Cincinnati.
As
the first double bass player to win the Young Concert Artists Auditions
in 2003, Zhang was also awarded the Claire Tow Prize, which sponsored
his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists Series and the
Washington Performing Arts Society Prize, which sponsored his
Washington, DC debut at the Kennedy Center, as well as the La Jolla
Music Society Prize, the Orchestra New England Soloist Prize, and The
Fergus Prize.
Zhang
was the first double bassist ever to win First Prize in the 2003 WAMSO
(Women's Auxiliary of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra) competition. In
2001, Zhang was the youngest artist ever to win the International
Society of Bassists Solo Competition. He has also received the Grand
Prize of the American String Teachers Association National Solo
Competition.
DaXun Zhang comes from a family of bassists in Harbin, China. He has been playing the instrument since the age of nine, and studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing beginning at the age of eleven. He continued his studies in the U.S. at the InterlochenArtsAcademy
and received his Artist Diploma from Indiana University School of
Music, where he worked with Lawrence Hurst. He is currently on the
faculty at NorthwesternUniversity.
Listener Feedback
……….David Ballam wrote:
Hi Jason, Congratulations
on being mentioned in the Doublebassist (Spring 07). I just received my
issue in the mail today. The title is "Poducation" and is found on
p.28-29. Your blog is mentioned and given credit for this growing area
of podcasting/blogging. Btw... I think the sites (Bass Blog &
Contrabassconversations) really has done a lot for the bass community,
not only here in Chicago,
but nationally and internationally. I'm really excited to see the
technology bring the bass community together. Keep up the great work.
…………Christian Dillingham wrote:
Hey Jason,
I
just listened to 3 interviews from the show. I'm addicted! They're all
inspiring, and it's really great what you're doing. Just wanted to say
thanks. Also, I'm sure Jeff Turner would be into the podcasting. Let me
know if you would like to consider that, and I can get you his info. Sign-off
This week's Contrabass Conversations episode features an excellent
interview with Indiana University double bass professor Lawrence Hurst.
Double bassist (and frequent Contrabass Conversations guest)
John Grillo co-hosted the interview with me. You'll be hearing the
first part of our interview this week, and we'll be putting out more of
this interview in the next few weeks.