Bass Retreat at Nazareth College

NAZARETH COLLEGE Bass Retreat at Nazareth College August 19-21, 2015 Co-sponsored by New York State American String Teachers Association, the three-day Bass Retreat at Nazareth College is an immersion in all things double bass. Join us for this special chance to refresh skills, get back in the groove of playing before summer ends, meet and work with inspiring teachers, and make dedicated time for questions and exploration. Area teachers will find this retreat a timely opportunity to sharpen their approach through hands-on learning and pedagogy classes with inspiring teachers. Plus, in-service credit is available through NY-ASTA at no charge. This three-day retreat will have us all working together on: Using our bodies more efficiently as we play. Basic elements of technique for each hand. Solos and etudes. Improvisation especially if you have never tried it before. Ways to care for the bass in all seasons. Large bass ensemble with parts for all levels of players. Learn More naz.edu/music/summer-programs Players at all levels are encouraged to participate. There are many levels of workshops, so plan to play where you are comfortable while listening and learning at other workshops. Hands on for everyone. All levels are welcome. Includes a track for teachers. Special track for young/beginning players. 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618 585-389-2700 gmccorm0@mail.naz.edu

2015 Teachers Katie Fittipaldi Since moving to Rochester in 2003, Fittipaldi has had a full studio of cello students, both privately and at the Kanack School. Since 2004, she has taught Alexander Technique lessons and workshops privately as well as at the Eastman School, the Eastman Summer Trombone Institute, the University of Buffalo, the Hochstein School, the Kanack School, and the Suzuki Guitar retreat. She holds degrees from Ithaca College (B.M.), Irish World Music Centre in Limerick, Ireland (M.M.), and the Alexander Alliance School in Philadelphia. In 2013, Fittipaldi completed training requirements to become a member of AmSAT (American Society of the Alexander Technique). Michael Griffin Michael Griffin has played assistant principal bass in the Rochester Philharmonic since 1998. He has also played in the Syracuse and Albany Symphonies, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the Glimmerglass Opera, Cayuga Chamber, and St. Cecilia Chamber orchestras. Griffin holds degrees from Indiana University in Bloomington and his teachers include Murray Grodner, Stuart Sankey, Lucas Drew, and John Hood of the Philadelphia Orchestra. In addition to playing on recordings with the RPO, he has recorded a family tribute album of originals entitled Voices From Beyond, available on itunes. Griffin also makes, restores, and repairs violin family instruments in his Luthier s Care workshop in Fairport, New York. His luthier experience spans over three decades experience. To date, he has made four basses of varied personal models, in addition to numerous violins (Stradivari and Guarneri models) and recently violas of his own design. His teaching includes Ithaca College and Nazareth Colleges. Hobbies include learning karate alongside his son, studying old instruments, and playing some jazz. Gaelen McCormick McCormick has been a member of the Rochester Philharmonic s double bass section since 1995. Before joining the RPO, she held positions with regional orchestras such as the Erie (PA) Philharmonic, the Binghamton Philharmonic, and the Albany Symphony. McCormick has performed regularly with other major orchestras, including the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Syracuse Symphony. She holds degrees in performance from the Eastman School and Carnegie Mellon University. Teaching the double bass to students of all ages has become a significant part of McCormick s life. In addition to teaching at Roberts Wesleyan College, she joined the faculty of Nazareth College in 2010, and has been the bass instructor for the Eastman Community Music School since 2001. She enjoys working with talented high school aged string players in the summer at Eastman s Music Horizons program, where she teaches chamber music and gives bass lessons. In 2003, she was invited to teach for the year at Duquesne University s City Music Center, a program for talented, pre-college students. McCormick has given master classes and recitals at Ithaca College, Williams College, the College of St. Rose, and Roberts Wesleyan College. In 2013, she gave classes on double bass technique at both the International Society of Bassists convention in Rochester and the NYSSMA Winter Conference. Mastering the Bow, the first of her three books on double bass bow technique, was published by Carl Fischer in 2013, and the second will be published during the 2015 season. Playing chamber music has been a passion for McCormick. Before moving to Rochester, she often performed with the St. Cecilia Chamber Orchestra (Albany, NY) as their sole bassist. During her tenure in Pittsburgh, she became the founding bassist of the Pittsburgh Live Music Chamber Orchestra. She was the founding member of the innovative string quintet Gibbs and Main, recorded a CD of tango standards with them, and commissioned a new work for the ensemble by Judd Greenstein. In recent summers, she has been performing with the Music in the Mountains chamber orchestra, a festival based in Durango, Colorado. 2

She is frequently invited to play chamber music with musicians from around the country in festivals such as the Roycroft Chamber Music Festival and the Syracuse New Music Ensemble. McCormick has been involved in volunteering and arts advocacy and is proud to be the representative for the RPO in the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians. She is honored to be a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Pi Kappa Lambda, groups recognizing and supporting excellence in the humanities and in music specifically. In her spare time, McCormick enjoys kayaking, Argentine tango and West Coast swing dancing, and spending time with her toddler Clara. Mary Wheelock Javian Mary Wheelock Javian (double bass) is an active performing and teaching artist. She performs frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra as well as the IRIS Orchestra in Germantown, Tennessee, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Philly Pops, the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. As a chamber musician, Javian has performed and recorded with Network for New Music, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem and the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music. A Maryland Distinguished Scholar, she has been awarded fellowships with the Tanglewood Music Center, the National Repertory Orchestra, the Verbier Festival, and the National Symphony. A passionate advocate for music education and community engagement, Javian has worked in these areas for such organizations as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Savannah Music Festival, and Project 440. As a curator, she currently works for LiveConnections, programming a series at World Café Live, whose innovative concerts expand how classical music is experienced by breaking boundaries of repertoire, collaboration, and atmosphere. Javian is also on the faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music, where she was recently appointed as the school s director of professional development and community engagement. A graduate of Curtis, Javian studied with Harold Robinson, principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Rob Nairn Rob Nairn is a distinguished professor of music at Penn State University and on the faculty of the Juilliard School. He has performed with the London and Oslo Philharmonics; Pittsburgh and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestras; English, Scottish, and Australian Chamber Orchestras; Bavarian Radio Symphony; Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras; London Sinfonietta; the Halle Orchestra; and London Mozart players. He is principal bass of the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Early Music Festival and Juilliard Baroque, and has performed with the English Baroque Soloists, Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, Concerto Caledonia, Washington Bach Consort, Rebel, Florilegium and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. In addition, Nairn is active in commissioning new works for double bass and has premiered more than forty compositions. He is a Past President of the International Society of Bassists and a Howard Foundation Fellowship recipient from Brown University. He was awarded a D.A.A.D. Scholarship and earned a faculty scholar medal from Penn State. He has recorded for Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, EMI, Virgin, ABC Classics, and Channel Classics. His teachers include Max McBride, Klaus Stoll, and Tom Martin. Tracy Rowell Tracy Rowell is a faculty member at Oberlin College and Conservatory and at the Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory program. She has been a frequent clinician at such workshops as Peabody Bass Works, the Kansas City Bass Workshop, and Institut Francois Rabbath/George Vance Summer Bass Workshop. Formerly the assistant principal bassist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada, Rowell currently serves as principal bass for the CityMusic Cleveland and performs with Apollo s Fire, Cleveland s baroque orchestra. She may be heard as a soloist in Telemann s Grillen-Symphonie with Apollo s Fire (Koch International Recording). 3

As a chamber musician, Rowell has collaborated with musicians from the Cavani, St. Lawrence, Pacifica, and Parker string quartets. Rowell has also performed with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony, and Carmel Bach Festival. She received fellowships from the Aspen Music Festival, the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Solti Orchestral Project at Carnegie Hall. Rowell earned a bachelor s of music degree from Rice University, studying under Paul Ellison, and a master s of music degree from Boston University, studying under Edwin Barker. Dan Ziemann Danny Ziemann is a jazz bassist, educator, and composer living in Rochester, NY. A 2012 graduate of the Eastman School of Music with degrees in music education and jazz bass performance, he has been freelancing since the age of 16, currently throughout North America and internationally touring with band leader Gordon Webster. In addition to active recording and session work, he can be seen performing at the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival and venues in Rochester and Buffalo, sharing the stage with greats including Bill Dobbins, Don Menza, Delfeayo Marsalis, Dennis Mackrel, and Bobby Militello. Ziemann teachers include Jeff Campbell, James VanDemark, and Bill Dobbins. As the instructor of jazz bass at the Eastman Community Music School and at SUNY Oswego, Ziemann balances performing with a full teaching schedule. He is also a teaching artist for the Institute for Creative Music, holds his New York State teacher certification, and is an active guest clinician and teacher at many college-based music camps during the summer including Eastman at Keuka and the Buffalo State Music Institute. Ziemann is a contributing author to the new D Addario blog, Behind the Bridge. Education and the learning process is extremely important to Ziemann, and he strives to advance jazz bass pedagogy. Ziemann recently released his first book, The Low Down, a method book that focuses on jazz bass line construction. Visit www.dannyziemann.com for updates! Artists subject to change. 4

Nazareth College Bass Retreat Registration Form August 19 21, 2015 Workshop schedule: Arrival: 8:30-9 a.m. Workshops begin: 9 a.m. Faculty recital (open to the public): 3-4 p.m. Students available for pick up no later than 5 p.m. Schedule includes stretches and warm-ups, care of your instrument, improv for everyone, master classes at different levels, pedagogy for teachers, sitting and standing posture, practicing tips, and a faculty recital with all guest teachers. To register: Print and complete registration form. Include your check made payable to Nazareth College and mail to Nazareth College, Attn: Music Department, 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618. Payment details: The registration fee includes all workshops, performances, and lunch each day. Please make checks payable to Nazareth College. Early Registration before July 1: $150 After July 1: $225 Questions? Call Pamela Griffin at the Nazareth Music Department at (585) 389-2700 or Gaelen McCormick at (585) 764-2809. Participant name Phone Address email city/state/zip T-shirt size Name of parent/guardian (Any child too young to go from class to class needs an adult to help.) WILL attend? Playing experience How long studied? Private teacher/s? Teacher s NAME TEACHER s email School orchestra/band? How many years? Current solo piece/s: Past solo piece/s: Piece you want to play in group solo recital: Please rate your own ability (1 = no experience 5 = very comfortable) Shifting on neck Thumb position Read treble clef Read complex rhythms Improvise Read in all keys Teachers In-service credit is available thanks to NY ASTA. Need to rent a bass? Rentals are available for $20 per day. Please specify size and bow style. 2015 Teachers: Jeff Campbell: Jazz bass professor at the Eastman School of Music, member of the RPO bass section. Katie Fittipaldi: Alexander technique teacher, cello teacher at the Kanack School. Gaelen McCormick: Bass professor at Nazareth College, member of the RPO bass section. Rob Nairn: Professor of double bass, Penn State University. Mary Wheelock Javian: Teaching artist and curator, Philadelphia and Curtis Institute. Tracy Rowell: Oberlin College, Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory School. Dan Ziemann: SUNY Oswego, Eastman Community Music School. Sponsored by: Stringed Instrument Service NY American String Teachers Association Nazareth College George D. and Frieda B. Abraham Foundation Dr. Bruce Goldman