Gary Karr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Gary Karr | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | November 20, 1942  Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Classical, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Double-bassist, pedagogue |
| Instrument(s) | Double-bass |
| Years active | ca. 1960-2001 |
| Website | www.GaryKarr.com |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Double-bass ex-Bottesini 1716 Testore Karr-Koussevitzky 1611 Amati |
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Gary Karr (b. November 20, 1941), is an American classical double bass virtuoso and teacher.
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[edit] Biography
Although he comes from seven generations of bassists, he was not encouraged by them to go into music. In an interview with ActiveBass magazine he said that he has no contact with the professional bassists in his family.[1]
His major teachers include Herman Reinshagen and Stuart Sankey, with whom he studied at the Aspen Music Festival and the Juilliard School. Karr's breakthrough came in 1962, when he was featured as a soloist in a nationally televised New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. On that famous telecast, Karr performed "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns.
He has published a number of instructional books for the double bass. He focuses on finding one's unique sound on the double bass and approaching one's playing with the lyrical emphasis of a singer. During a 2007 master class at the University of Washington he encouraged the students to consider bowing closer to the bridge to enhance the quality of their sound.
After 40 years as a concert artist he retired in 2001 to Victoria, British Columbia, where he lives with his dog Shin-Ju.
[edit] Foundations
In 1967, Karr founded the International Society of Bassists (ISB), an organization devoted to the study, promotion, and advancement of double bass playing around the world. The ISB, with a membership of more than 3,000 double bass performers, teachers, students, and aficionados in more than 40 countries, hosts an international conference biannually to further these goals.
Olga Koussevitzky, widow of Serge Koussevitzky (1874-1951), gifted to Karr the Amati double bass fabricated in 1611.[1] The instrument, now bearing the name of both musicians, is referred to as the Karr-Koussevitzky. Karr later donated this double bass to the ISB making it available for the use of double bassists world-wide.
In 1984 the non-profit Karr Doublebass Foundation was established by Karr, which loans instruments to promising young double bassists to assist in their professional development.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Laurence Mollerup. "Interview: Up Close And Classical with Gary Karr", ActiveBass magazine. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
[edit] External links
- Gary Karr Official website
- International Society of Bassists Official website
- Karr Doublebass Foundation Official website
