Saturday, April 10th – 4pm
We welcome Ted Botsford back with us. He has been a favorite of ours out here in the desert. He will tell us what he has been doing during the pandemic and how it has affected the LA Phil and all musicians. Ted teaches at the Colburn School and Occidental College. We’ll ask him how that has been in a Zoom environment. Much more to ask him and we want to leave time for him to perform LIVE for us.
This is sure to be a most enjoyable hour with Ted!
As an orchestral musician, soloist, teacher, and proponent of contemporary music, Ted Botsford enjoys a varied career, exploring the sonorities of the double bass and pushing back against its perceived limitations in the musical world.
Ted joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in August of 2017. Prior to his appointment in LA, he spent time in the beautifully rainy Pacific Northwest, playing two seasons with the Seattle Symphony and five as Assistant Principal Bass and Acting Principal Bass of the Oregon Symphony. He always reserves time during the summer to dive into contemporary works, performing as Principal Bass of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz.
Between degrees at Rice University (B.M. and M.M. with Paul Ellison), Ted made the pilgrimage to study with François Rabbath in Paris. When he wasn’t partaking in the abundance of cultural activities there, he spent his time practicing Bach cello suites and working through Rabbath’s sizable catalog of solo music. At the end of the year, Ted walked away with the Diplôme and Teaching Certificate in Rabbath’s method and a wealth of inspiration.
Always in search of new ways to grow and connect more directly with audiences, Ted engages in several solo projects each year. In March of 2021, he live-streamed a recital for Occidental College that included Veronika Krausas’ Cloisonné, a piece written to accompany a film by Nanuka Tchitchoua. At a recent International Society of Bassists convention, he performed both the narration and bass part to Frank Proto’s Mingus: Live in the Underworld (poetry by John Chenault). He also brought John Harbison’s Concerto for Bass Viol to Portland for its local premiere with the Portland Youth Philharmonic.
Following the example of his first teacher, innovative pedagogue George Vance, Ted teaches students of all ages. He recently joined the faculty at Colburn Community School, teaches at Occidental College in Los Angeles, and was also guest faculty at the University of Southern California for the Fall 2020 semester. These are opportunities to pass along rich traditions, discover new possibilities, and hopefully inspire passion for the double bass.
Here is a Sound/Stage episode that features the LA Phil basses in Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals – Click here
Ted is directing any money raised from this event to go to the Beckman YOLA Instrument fund.
Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, April 10th at 4 pm!
Michael Napoli
President
This event is being sponsored by:
David Freedman
Rick and Brad Seeley
Chuck Steinman
