2019 Bass Coalition Trains Musicians of All Skill Levels

The 2019 Bass Coalition Stokes Intensive Session, held at Shenandoah Conservatory from June 11 through June 15, hosted six classical and jazz bassists (ages 16 to 44) and culminated in a series of solo and chamber performances on June 14 and June 15. The primary focus of the intensive session was musical and technical development, as well as performance and practice pedagogy.

The two-day Bass Coalition Summer Workshop on June 14 and June 15 welcomed 28 bassists, mostly of high school and college age. Faculty included Coordinator of Strings and Professor of Bass Donovan Stokes, D.M.; Auxiliary Adjunct Lecturer Inez Wyrick, Eric O. Hanson ’18 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance); Kevin Johnson ’11 (Bachelor of Music in Music Production & Recording Technology); Zach Rowden ’14 (Bachelor of Music in Performance); Shanti Nachtergaele ’13 (Bachelor of Music in Performance); Sarah Lahasky ’15 (Bachelor of Music in Performance); and Nors Hexum ’18 (Bachelor of Music in Performance). In addition to chamber and large ensemble performances, sessions on the following topics were presented: 18th-century performance practice, jazz bass in a trio, the Viennese violone, spectral music, mathematical divines of the 8va, Argentinian folk music and tango.