I
guess I would say that if I am known for anything
outside of my immediate family, it would be as a
double bassist. I have performed as soloist, chamber,
orchestral, jazz and improvisational musician across
Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, Australia, and
the United States. Modern life in music being what it
is, I have has also assumed many roles beyond the
stage: producer, tour manager, booking agent,
publicist, promoter, webmaster, editor, and board
member of various educational and non-profit
organizations.
Ball State University
Currently I hold the position of Professor of Double Bass and Coordinator of the String Area at Ball State University. I teach private lessons to an average of 14 bassists each week, supplemented by three hours of bass classes. Weekly classes include technique/solo classes, orchestra repertoire, and bass ensemble. Depending on the needs of the department and the students I also teach Bass Pedagogy and Literature, Jazz Bass Seminar, String Improvisation and coach combos.
Background
Part of my fascination with bass pedagogy and stylistic diversity comes from my eclectic background. My parents were two highly motivated and respected educators, my family life was filled with love and guided by the underlying idea that education for education's sake was the highest aspiration; one needed to search for a passion and then carve a place in the world to make the exploration of that passion a life's work. This is likely why my undergraduate career took almost 7 years as I spent time exploring English Literature and Philosophy before finally coming home to music and the double bass. My early teachers, Ferdinand Maresh (Philadelphia Orchestra) and Anthony Bianco (Pittsburgh Symphony), helped instill a sense of seriousness in the study of music - while retaining a sense of humor and generosity.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Working with jazz legend and young bassist guru Richard Davis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison opened me up to consider the limitless potential of the instrument and served to inspire me to explore all styles of music. During this period I played with an enormous range of ensembles and artists. I served as principal bass of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, specializing in baroque and classical period works in the winter and pops in the summer, and the Quad-City Symphony and the Dubuque Symphony, performing standard repertoire. I performed chamber music with members of the Pro Arte Quartet and the Wingra Woodwind Quintet and new music with violin great Vartan Manoogian. Jazz faculty Les Thimmig, a world-class composer, arranger, and improvisor whose chosen instruments were tenor sax and bass clarinet, invited me to play with his group. Perhaps the most significant, and longest lasting collaboration was with faculty member Joan Wildman. Trained as a theorist and classical pianist, Joan had become attracted by the lines between composition and improvisation, criss-crossing the boundaries between jazz, new music, ethnic musics, and electronics - a first-rate gourmet musical gumbo. Other artists with whom I performed with during this period included Ben Sidran, Stanley Jordan, John Thulin, and Roscoe Mitchell.
Northwestern
After studying in Madison for several years, I sought out Jeff Bradetich, the great bass pedagogue who was teaching at Northwestern at that time. In as much as Richard's approach opened me to an ever widening musical experience, Jeff's systematic pedagogical system brought a focus to my technique and discipline. Two years of technical exercises and practice diaries helped me to continually access my growth. I credit Jeff with clarifying my concept of the bass and helping me to refine the work begun early on with Ferdinand and Anthony.
Rabbath
Having been introduced to the rich history of bass pedagogy in Madison by Tyrone Grieve and Lowell Crietz, I eagerly devoured news from the bass world, primarily from the ISB (there was no such thing as the internet at the time). I learned about François from articles about him in the 1980s and purchased his Bach LP and method book. While at Northwestern I freelanced occasionally with the Illinois Philharmonic and had the opportunity to perform in the bass section accompanying François' performance of the Carmen Variations. However it wasn't until the bass convention in Iowa City when I heard my former student Sandor Ostlund - now a major league teacher in his own right - play the 4th Bach Suite at pitch. He said he had been to Paris to study with Rabbath and encouraged me to go.
Nothing could have prepared me for the experience.
As he says - "each one is unique" - there is certainly only one François!
To get a feel for what it is to be around him, I would like to invite you to view the interview portion from the DVD, The Art of the Bow with François Rabbath. He speaks candidly and passionately about many subjects, from teaching to performance nerves. For the purposes of full disclosure - yes, I am the producer of that DVD. However, if you are curious about him, I can say that the DVD is a good place to begin to understand what Rabbath is about.
The
Freelance World
I have been very fortunate to have appeared with a variety of artists across the spectrum of jazz music including Eddie Daniels, Phil Woods, Randy Brecker, Dick Hyman, Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Eddie Higgins, David Baker, Stanley Jordan, Peter Erskine, Joe LaBarbera, Alan Dawson, Bela Fleck, Howard Levy and many others.
I developed long chamber music relationships, touring with 'Fireflight' (soprano, Japanese koto and bass koto, double bass, and percussion) and 'Trinkle, Burkett, and Sturm' (trumpet, marimba and double bass) for more than fifteen years. I worked in the electronic medium with composers such as Cleveland Scott and Joan Wildman.
As an orchestral bassist, I served as principal bassist of numerous regional orchestras including the Muncie Symphony, Quad Cities Symphony, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Madison Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Dorian Opera, Rockford Symphony, and Racine Symphony and more recently toured Europe as a member of the American Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra.
I have appeared as a soloist performing standard repertoire with orchestras including Bruch Kol Neidri, Paganini Moses Variations, Koussevitzky Concerto, Bottesini Concerto, and VanHal Concerto. At a time when we were playing together on a weekly basis, Roscoe Mitchell wrote the stratospheric solo bass movement from"Sketches from the Bamboo Terrace" for me. The solo became the genesis for a triple concerto with chamber orchestra, a version I premiered with soprano Mimmi Fulmer, and violinist Vartan Manoogian. More recently I performed the Proto Carmen Variations with Mr. Proto in attendance.
I love to perform a wide range of repertoire in recital. Among the solo programs I enjoy to play are an all Piazzolla recital of transcriptions, a program of 20th Century serial works, and an evening of solo electronic works that includes the suite, Altered States of Bass.
My chamber music repertoire includes standard repertoire such as the Bottesini Passione Amoroso and Grand Duos (both for bass and violin), Rossini Duetto, Dittersdorf Sinfonia Concertante, Prokofiev Quintet, and works by Starvinsky, Dvorak, Nielsen, Lutoslowski, Guibadalina, and others. I have also performed many new works for bass in contemporary ensembles including electronic works at festivals world wide.
Festivals and Conferences
A cross section of the major festivals where I have performed includes:
2007 Italian Jazz Festival Tour
The Beijing Music Festival
The Association of Brazilian Contrabassists International Conventions in Goiania and Pirenopolus, Brazil
The Scottish Bass Trust's International Convention and The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh Scotland
The College Music Society International Conference in Kyoto, Japan
Encontro de instrumentistas in Joao Pessoa and Belo Horizonte, Brazil
The Biennial International Symposium on Arts and Technology in New London, Connecticut
State Department Tour of Morocco
American String Teachers Association National Conference in Kansas City and Atlanta
International Association of Jazz Educators National Conference in New York City and New Orleans
International Society of Bassists Conventions in Bloomington, Houston, Indianapolis, Iowa City, Richmond, Kalamazoo, Oklahoma City and Penn State
Jazz and new music festivals in Paris, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Madison, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis
Recordings
I have contributed performances and compositions to more than thirty recordings with artists including the Pro Arte String Quartet, soprano Mimmi Fulmer, vocalist Jackie Allen, synthesist/composer Joan Wildman, guitarists Scott Fields, Rolf Sturm, Dave Baney, Jeff Parker, and Jack Grassel, trumpeters Bob Levy and David Young, and pianists Jane Reynolds, and Marilyn Crispell. These recordings have been released on labels such as Blue Note (EMI), A440, Innova, Red Mark, Music and Arts, CRI, Big Chicago, and Cadence among others.
The ISB
I currently serve as President of the International Society of Bassists. I was responsible for designing the artistic portion of the 2007 Oklahoma City ISB Convention (John Schemick was our gracious host.) I was very proud to bring wonderful artists to headline at the convention who had never before attended including Renaud Garcia Fons, Joel Quarrington, Robert Hurst, and Avashi Cohen.Diana Gannett appointed me to the ISB Board of Directors and have served on the Board for over a decade. I also wrote the new music reviews (New Music Editor) for the organization's journal 'Bass World' for six years.
Coda
As much as I enjoy traveling and seeing the world when I am able, I truly enjoy being a homebody. My life in Indiana is very laid back - a lovely, quiet refuge from the intensity of life on the road, especially in bigger cities. I live within walking distance of the university with my wife, jazz singer Jackie Allen, and our young son.
Currently I hold the position of Professor of Double Bass and Coordinator of the String Area at Ball State University. I teach private lessons to an average of 14 bassists each week, supplemented by three hours of bass classes. Weekly classes include technique/solo classes, orchestra repertoire, and bass ensemble. Depending on the needs of the department and the students I also teach Bass Pedagogy and Literature, Jazz Bass Seminar, String Improvisation and coach combos.
Part of my fascination with bass pedagogy and stylistic diversity comes from my eclectic background. My parents were two highly motivated and respected educators, my family life was filled with love and guided by the underlying idea that education for education's sake was the highest aspiration; one needed to search for a passion and then carve a place in the world to make the exploration of that passion a life's work. This is likely why my undergraduate career took almost 7 years as I spent time exploring English Literature and Philosophy before finally coming home to music and the double bass. My early teachers, Ferdinand Maresh (Philadelphia Orchestra) and Anthony Bianco (Pittsburgh Symphony), helped instill a sense of seriousness in the study of music - while retaining a sense of humor and generosity.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Working with jazz legend and young bassist guru Richard Davis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison opened me up to consider the limitless potential of the instrument and served to inspire me to explore all styles of music. During this period I played with an enormous range of ensembles and artists. I served as principal bass of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, specializing in baroque and classical period works in the winter and pops in the summer, and the Quad-City Symphony and the Dubuque Symphony, performing standard repertoire. I performed chamber music with members of the Pro Arte Quartet and the Wingra Woodwind Quintet and new music with violin great Vartan Manoogian. Jazz faculty Les Thimmig, a world-class composer, arranger, and improvisor whose chosen instruments were tenor sax and bass clarinet, invited me to play with his group. Perhaps the most significant, and longest lasting collaboration was with faculty member Joan Wildman. Trained as a theorist and classical pianist, Joan had become attracted by the lines between composition and improvisation, criss-crossing the boundaries between jazz, new music, ethnic musics, and electronics - a first-rate gourmet musical gumbo. Other artists with whom I performed with during this period included Ben Sidran, Stanley Jordan, John Thulin, and Roscoe Mitchell.
Northwestern
After studying in Madison for several years, I sought out Jeff Bradetich, the great bass pedagogue who was teaching at Northwestern at that time. In as much as Richard's approach opened me to an ever widening musical experience, Jeff's systematic pedagogical system brought a focus to my technique and discipline. Two years of technical exercises and practice diaries helped me to continually access my growth. I credit Jeff with clarifying my concept of the bass and helping me to refine the work begun early on with Ferdinand and Anthony.
Rabbath
Having been introduced to the rich history of bass pedagogy in Madison by Tyrone Grieve and Lowell Crietz, I eagerly devoured news from the bass world, primarily from the ISB (there was no such thing as the internet at the time). I learned about François from articles about him in the 1980s and purchased his Bach LP and method book. While at Northwestern I freelanced occasionally with the Illinois Philharmonic and had the opportunity to perform in the bass section accompanying François' performance of the Carmen Variations. However it wasn't until the bass convention in Iowa City when I heard my former student Sandor Ostlund - now a major league teacher in his own right - play the 4th Bach Suite at pitch. He said he had been to Paris to study with Rabbath and encouraged me to go.
Nothing could have prepared me for the experience.
As he says - "each one is unique" - there is certainly only one François!
To get a feel for what it is to be around him, I would like to invite you to view the interview portion from the DVD, The Art of the Bow with François Rabbath. He speaks candidly and passionately about many subjects, from teaching to performance nerves. For the purposes of full disclosure - yes, I am the producer of that DVD. However, if you are curious about him, I can say that the DVD is a good place to begin to understand what Rabbath is about.
I have been very fortunate to have appeared with a variety of artists across the spectrum of jazz music including Eddie Daniels, Phil Woods, Randy Brecker, Dick Hyman, Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Eddie Higgins, David Baker, Stanley Jordan, Peter Erskine, Joe LaBarbera, Alan Dawson, Bela Fleck, Howard Levy and many others.
I developed long chamber music relationships, touring with 'Fireflight' (soprano, Japanese koto and bass koto, double bass, and percussion) and 'Trinkle, Burkett, and Sturm' (trumpet, marimba and double bass) for more than fifteen years. I worked in the electronic medium with composers such as Cleveland Scott and Joan Wildman.
As an orchestral bassist, I served as principal bassist of numerous regional orchestras including the Muncie Symphony, Quad Cities Symphony, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Madison Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Dorian Opera, Rockford Symphony, and Racine Symphony and more recently toured Europe as a member of the American Sinfonietta Chamber Orchestra.
I have appeared as a soloist performing standard repertoire with orchestras including Bruch Kol Neidri, Paganini Moses Variations, Koussevitzky Concerto, Bottesini Concerto, and VanHal Concerto. At a time when we were playing together on a weekly basis, Roscoe Mitchell wrote the stratospheric solo bass movement from"Sketches from the Bamboo Terrace" for me. The solo became the genesis for a triple concerto with chamber orchestra, a version I premiered with soprano Mimmi Fulmer, and violinist Vartan Manoogian. More recently I performed the Proto Carmen Variations with Mr. Proto in attendance.
I love to perform a wide range of repertoire in recital. Among the solo programs I enjoy to play are an all Piazzolla recital of transcriptions, a program of 20th Century serial works, and an evening of solo electronic works that includes the suite, Altered States of Bass.
My chamber music repertoire includes standard repertoire such as the Bottesini Passione Amoroso and Grand Duos (both for bass and violin), Rossini Duetto, Dittersdorf Sinfonia Concertante, Prokofiev Quintet, and works by Starvinsky, Dvorak, Nielsen, Lutoslowski, Guibadalina, and others. I have also performed many new works for bass in contemporary ensembles including electronic works at festivals world wide.
Festivals and Conferences
A cross section of the major festivals where I have performed includes:
2007 Italian Jazz Festival Tour
The Beijing Music Festival
The Association of Brazilian Contrabassists International Conventions in Goiania and Pirenopolus, Brazil
The Scottish Bass Trust's International Convention and The Fringe Festival in Edinburgh Scotland
The College Music Society International Conference in Kyoto, Japan
Encontro de instrumentistas in Joao Pessoa and Belo Horizonte, Brazil
The Biennial International Symposium on Arts and Technology in New London, Connecticut
State Department Tour of Morocco
American String Teachers Association National Conference in Kansas City and Atlanta
International Association of Jazz Educators National Conference in New York City and New Orleans
International Society of Bassists Conventions in Bloomington, Houston, Indianapolis, Iowa City, Richmond, Kalamazoo, Oklahoma City and Penn State
Jazz and new music festivals in Paris, Chicago, New York, Detroit, Madison, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis
Recordings
I have contributed performances and compositions to more than thirty recordings with artists including the Pro Arte String Quartet, soprano Mimmi Fulmer, vocalist Jackie Allen, synthesist/composer Joan Wildman, guitarists Scott Fields, Rolf Sturm, Dave Baney, Jeff Parker, and Jack Grassel, trumpeters Bob Levy and David Young, and pianists Jane Reynolds, and Marilyn Crispell. These recordings have been released on labels such as Blue Note (EMI), A440, Innova, Red Mark, Music and Arts, CRI, Big Chicago, and Cadence among others.
The ISB
I currently serve as President of the International Society of Bassists. I was responsible for designing the artistic portion of the 2007 Oklahoma City ISB Convention (John Schemick was our gracious host.) I was very proud to bring wonderful artists to headline at the convention who had never before attended including Renaud Garcia Fons, Joel Quarrington, Robert Hurst, and Avashi Cohen.Diana Gannett appointed me to the ISB Board of Directors and have served on the Board for over a decade. I also wrote the new music reviews (New Music Editor) for the organization's journal 'Bass World' for six years.
Coda
As much as I enjoy traveling and seeing the world when I am able, I truly enjoy being a homebody. My life in Indiana is very laid back - a lovely, quiet refuge from the intensity of life on the road, especially in bigger cities. I live within walking distance of the university with my wife, jazz singer Jackie Allen, and our young son.
President of
the International Society of Bassists,
Hans Sturm has toured on
six continents as a symphony, jazz, and chamber
musician. His jazz credits include Eddie Daniels,
Stanley Jordan, Roscoe Mitchell, Jackie Allen, and
many others. He has contributed performances and
compositions to over fifty jazz and chamber music
recordings including releases on Blue Note, Music
& Arts, Cadence, Innova, CRI, and Red Mark. He is
also an award-winning producer for his pedagogical
DVD: The Art of the Bow with François Rabbath. He is
Professor of Double Bass and Chair of the String Area
at Ball State University.
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