Libsyn Directory

1154: Dominik Wagner on teaching, competitions, and finding your sound

Release Date: 07/16/2026

1165: Solving a 250-Year-Old Double Bass Mystery with Darija Andzakovic

Contrabass Conversations

Darija Andzakovic is a freelance bassist and musicologist specializing in historical instruments, the Viennese bass, and the music of Johannes Matthias Sperger. While researching Sperger’s manuscripts for her doctoral dissertation, she discovered through melodic and handwriting analysis that the work long cataloged as Sperger’s Fifth Bass Concerto was actually composed by Ignaz Pleyel. Darija joins Jason to trace this musical detective story, from deciphering 18th-century handwriting and reconstructing watermarks to exploring how Pleyel’s concerto may have influenced Sperger’s own...

1164: Eduard Marcu on winning the Lutine Prize

Contrabass Conversations

At just 18, London-based double bassist became the first bassist to win . Born in Romania and raised in London, Eduard began playing bass at age 10, developed his craft at Junior Guildhall, and performed with the before beginning his studies at the . Eduard joins Jason to talk about preparing for an all-instrument competition, balancing projection with a singing sound, and learning from musicians beyond the bass world. They also explore his approach to bow hair and weight, the influence of violinist Augustin Hadelich and bassist Ovidiu Bădilă, adapting violin and cello repertoire,...

1163: Chris Johnson on Building a Bigger Dream Through Music

Contrabass Conversations

is a New York–based bassist, educator, and creative force whose career spans the , New York City Ballet, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and a wide range of chamber, commercial, and recording projects. He is also the founder of , a concert series that brings music, food, and conversation together while placing artists and community at the center. In this conversation, Chris shares how Project STEP and New England Conservatory launched his life in music, why touring changed his view of the world, and how Burning Man inspired him to dream on a larger scale. We also...

1162: Jeanette Adams on community, creativity, and the touring life

Contrabass Conversations

is a bassist, educator, and member of the nationally touring progressive bluegrass trio . Raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and trained at Lawrence University, she now lives in Colorado, where she performs around 150–200 shows a year and helps expand access to string education through the Aspen Music Festival’s educational programs. We talk about the changing landscape of touring, the special community surrounding house concerts, and Jeanette’s journey from classical and jazz into bluegrass. She also shares how she practices in small pockets of time on the road, stays healthy while...

1161: Daniel Chiva Sanz on Intonation, Audition Prep, and Daily Mozart

Contrabass Conversations

returns to the podcast to discuss his latest project, , a new technique book that applies concepts from his books to the second movements and minuets of Mozart symphonies. Daniel shares how his work as a performer, teacher, and creator has led him toward a brass-inspired approach to sound, pitch center, and hand-shape precision, and he reflects on how fundamental technique has shaped his audition preparation, orchestral playing, and overall confidence on the bass. We dig into why Mozart’s slower movements make such effective daily studies, how Daniel uses color-coded markings to focus on...

1160: What Bottesini Really Wrote - Mark Morton’s Urtext Editions

Contrabass Conversations

joins Jason to discuss his decades-long project of Giovanni Bottesini’s music. Drawing on 3,656 photographs of manuscripts from the Biblioteca Palatina in Parma, Mark has completed editions of 11 works so far, with the goal of eventually covering all 84 of Bottesini’s compositions. He explains how he compares multiple surviving versions, preserves the composer’s choices, and avoids imposing editorial preferences—including in familiar pieces such as . The conversation explores the advantages of writing the bass part in the sounding octave, or suono reale, as well as Bottesini’s...

1159: Cole Davis and Jason Heath teach each other bass lessons!

Contrabass Conversations

is a bassist, composer, educator, and the creator behind , where he brings a playful, practical approach to jazz bass education. In this episode, Cole and Jason Heath trade lessons across the classical/jazz divide, building on their previous and digging into Cole’s ideas around walking lines, open strings, and groove. Jason then turns the tables with a bow lesson for Cole, covering fresh rosin, French bow hold, using the whole bow, vibrato as its own hand position, “uni-finger” concepts, and finding a thicker arco sound through bow weight, contact point, gravity, and relaxation. Enjoy,...

1158: Neal Miner on Juzeks, Golden Spirals, and the Art of Playing Bass Melodies

Contrabass Conversations

New York City jazz bassist joins the podcast to talk about his new , an 11-song collection designed for students and professionals to use in ensemble settings. Neal shares how longtime collaborator Chris Byars encouraged the project, how the book grew into play-alongs and a , and how his work as a bassist, teacher, composer, and documentary filmmaker all connect through a patient “chip away” creative process. We dig into Neal’s love of bass melodies, contrafacts, gut strings, his longtime Juzek bass, Golden Spiral strings, DPA mic setup, recording acoustic bass, and the...

1157: Kathryn Schulmeister on Imagining Hands

Contrabass Conversations

joins the podcast to talk about , her debut solo album on . A bassist, improviser, composer, and , Kathryn brings together contemporary music, storytelling, extended technique, and deeply personal experience in a project shaped by her time at UC San Diego, her work with Mark Dresser, and the narrative world of Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run With the Wolves. We dig into the album’s connection to The Handless Maiden, the thread-and-tabletop bass techniques behind “Underground Forest,” the prepared-bass sounds of “Harrowing,” the role of injury and recovery in “Silver...

1156: SoJung Kim’s journey from Korea to the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra

Contrabass Conversations

joins the podcast to share her journey from discovering the double bass in Korea to joining the . A graduate student at the studying with Peter Lloyd, SoJung has performed with the One Korea Youth Orchestra and Orchestra Ensemble Seoul, spent summers at the and , and first came to the instrument after hearing the deep resonance of a bass ensemble at her cousin’s concert. We talk about SoJung’s move from solo repertoire into the world of orchestral excerpts, the wake-up call of studying alongside highly prepared Colburn colleagues, and the practice routines that helped her prepare for a...

More Episodes

Dominik Wagner returns to the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation recorded during his visit to San Francisco for the 2026 Golden Gate Bass Camp. A prizewinner for many major solo competitions, Dominik has built an extraordinary career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and pedagogue, with albums including Giovanni Bottesini - Revolution of Bass, Chapters - A Double Bass Story, and Double Bass Rhapsody. He currently teaches at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and his work continues to expand what is possible on the double bass.

We dig into Dominik’s daily “musical hygiene,” his thoughts on posture, motion, sound, vibrato, setup, great instruments and bows, and how teaching keeps pushing his own playing forward. Dominik also shares what he looks for in students, how he thinks about auditions and the German-speaking orchestral world, why competitions should reward compelling soloists and creative programming, and how the bass community can keep evolving while honoring tradition. Follow Dominik on Instagram, YouTube, and his website, and experience this episode in full audio and video on Double Bass HQ.

Thank you to our sponsor

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – CMU is dedicated to helping each student achieve their goals as a musician. Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.

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