a few new bass acquaintances

Jory, Dave, Gabe, and Adam at Middleton Place, near Charleston

I got this photo just before the Spoleto Finale Concert at Middleton Place, which included a beautiful Lt. Kije solo by Jory Herman (first on left, above). Due to the various opera orchestra detachments, we only played one concert as a full bass section, but it was a pleasure meeting all of these guys, and I hope to run into them again in the future.

Jory was the only one pictured here whom I had met previously, at the Milwaukee audition a couple of months back, where we shared a taxi from the airport. I couldn't have asked for a better or more reliable stand partner for The Rite of Spring, and I already mentioned his impressive solo playing. Dave is heading to Germany later this summer, where he'll be in an the Essen Philharmonic orchestral academy, a really exciting opportunity to get a foothold in one of that region's orchestras. Gabe is also heading abroad this summer, for a trial in Singapore, and I should see a lot more of Adam down in Miami in the fall.

More and more I seem to be at least acquainted with the people winning the big orchestra jobs, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see any of these four soon do likewise. Of course, I'm beginning to get tired of vicariously enjoying my bass colleagues' successes, and impatient to follow their examples!