John Stovall
Editors' note: When WyoHistory.org published its history of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra in October 2021, the editors realized that there were many more people available to contribute their thoughts and memories of that organization. The American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming was also interested, and offered to contribute funding to support an oral history project to capture more information on the history of the symphony.
The Casper College Western History Center transcribed most of these interviews. In addition to being available here, at WyoHistory.org, the audio files plus transcripts are also available at the Western History Center and the American Heritage Center.
Thanks to the interviewees for donating their time; to the Casper College Western History Center for transcribing the audio files; to Kylie McCormick for transcribing some of the audio files; to the American Heritage Center for funding the project; and to the trustees of the George Fox Fund, Inc. for donating the use of its Zoom account.
Wyoming Symphony Oral History Project
Rebecca Hein interviewing John Stovall, April 6, 2023
Date transcribed: July 12, 2023
Play the audio
John: A sister too.
Rebecca: Go ahead.
John: Do you have a sister also?
Rebecca: A year older than me, Barbara, she plays violin.
John: Yeah. Yeah.
Rebecca: Okay Well, it's not often that I have the luxury of having been able to read somebody's bio before doing these, these interviews.
John: Uh huh.
Rebecca: So I have some questions related to that. Anyway, let's start with your name. Well, first of all, thank you for making yourself available for this interview.
John: Oh, certainly. Yeah. My pleasure.
Rebecca: Okay, great. Let's start with your name, your instrument, and how you came to play that instrument.
John: I'm John Stovall, and I play the double bass and I studied piano early on, started piano when I was five years old and was steered to the cello when I was in fifth grade. But it didn't take with me and I played sports instead. And then in ninth grade, I started playing the bass. And I initially started studying with Rex Eggleston.
Rebecca: Okay. I didn't know he taught bass.
John: Yeah, he was. He was the general, do you remember Rex?
Rebecca: Oh, very well. Yeah.
John: Yeah, Because he, I think he started the the string orchestra programs in the public schools in Casper. And he was, you know, he was a general music educator, and he did, he he got me started on the bass.
Rebecca: I see. Okay. And, and sorry, what grade were you in when you switched?
John: I was in ninth grade. I think it was, it was right before I went into ninth grade. I, it was during the summer.
Rebecca: Okay. And were you then and are you now a French bow bass player or a German bow?
John: Yes, I am a French bow player.
Rebecca: Okay. Could you go into the, just a little bit for the non-musicians who might be listening to this recording?
John: Yeah, there are two different styles of of bows for the bass and one is called the French bow, and that's normally referred to. That's what cellists play with, with the French. bow. It's the French bow grip, which is the, the hand is over the top of the, the stick of the bow and the other bow that bass players use is called the German bow. And it's also referred to as an underhand grip because you, you are holding the bow from underneath the stick instead of on top of the stick and that is used, German bow is definitely more prevalent in European orchestras, but in America, in the American orchestras and American bass players there, there's been quite a barrage of German bow players and a lot of the new players coming up are German bow players.
Rebecca: Okay, thanks. Now let's, let's go on to whatever you whatever you remember about before college, being in Casper, playing in the Youth Symphony and the Civic Symphony.
John: Yeah, well, you know, I studied with with Rex for probably a year, and then I was steered toward Dale Bohren. And I don't know if you remember Dale.
Rebecca: Sure.
John: But he, he taught me during high school. And Dale, he was very gifted. And Dale went to the Congress of Strings. I remember he was. And that was a national string program where he played in an orchestra. And he, it was sponsored by the Music Union. [Casper chapter] And his experience out there kind of inspired me because he had a chance to, you know, play with with a lot of different players from around the country because it's a national program and so he you know, he was hip to what was going on in the the bass world and music world, you know, sort of nationally. So he taught me through high school. And then he was studying with Curtis [Curtis Peacock, then the strings instructor at Casper College and also conductor of the Casper Civic Symphony and Casper Youth Symphony] at the time and my senior year of high school, I actually enrolled in Casper College because I had enough credits from high school. So my senior year was spent at Casper College and I switched to Curtis Peacock and Curtis was, was also a very inspirational teacher and amazing, he was a very good violinist, but his bass playing technique was also very good. And he really, you know, showed me a lot of good stuff on the bass and also just musically, because he was a very good musician. So my last year of college or my last year of high school spent at Casper College was with Curtis. And that, he was very helpful in actually steering me to some really, you know, top notch teachers around the country. He, he basically guided me when I finished, to my teacher, who was Stuart Sankey and in college. I don't know what you want me to say about that at this point.
Rebecca: Well, I'll make a note here. We can come back to that.
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: You, there was still a youth symphony when you were in high school, is that right?
John: Yes, The Casper Youth Symphony.
Rebecca: And did you play in the Youth Symphony?
John: I did play in the Youth Symphony. And I also played in,
Rebecca: Do you have memories?
John: That now I also played, I have more memories from the, from the Casper Symphony.
Rebecca: Okay.
John: Playing in the section there. Just trying to think because, you know, Curtis was conducting at the time. So it was a good opportunity that, being in the Casper Symphony because I remember playing the Brahms Symphony Number One with Curtis. [Johannes Brahms, 19th century German composer] And that just really got me very excited about, you know, pursuing a career in music. And I think having that opportunity, you know, was definitely a launching pad. The my memories are vague about playing in the in the Youth Symphony, though, because I had more experience playing with, with the Casper Symphony and the Casper College ensembles also also because there was a string orchestra associated with Casper College that I got to play in when I was there for the year.
Rebecca: Yeah, I played in it when I was in high school. I don't think it could have quite functioned without local people one way or another.
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: Now you've mentioned Congress of Strings.
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: Your bio on the Boston Symphony site says you went to Congress of Strings.
John: I did. My when I was 16. I, you know, set up through the union and I won a position there. I think, I don't remember if I had to audition or how it actually worked, because it was a scholarship that that, that you had to get through the union and it entailed, it was a two month course and it was out at the University of Washington in Seattle. And so I was out there for two months and the bass teacher was actually a, was the principal bass player from the Detroit Symphony. And he you know, so he really knew his stuff. And there were, I think, six other bass players in that section, and they were all, some guys from California and I remember Texas and a couple of guys from Idaho, but they all had, you know, good teachers and there was a lot of good playing and we had good conductors and we got to do a lot of different repertoire through the summer. And so it was a great learning experience and I know even a lot of people in the Boston Symphony have actually gone through the Congress of Strings, a lot of string players. So it's sort of one of the first, you know, training grounds for for musicians hoping to to, you know, further their education.
Rebecca: Right, yeah, well, I was always under the impression, although I must be wrong because you're saying there were a couple of people from different states. I always thought it was one student per state.
John: But yeah, I don't remember the exact details, but it's, I remember there was a wide range of people and also there was a wide range of talent too, because I was I was low man on the totem pole because I had just, I hadn't been playing the bass that long. I think I was 16 when I went there. And I remember there was a kid from L.A. and he was like a prodigy. That's what he seemed like to me. He, he actually I know him now. He plays in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but he used to, instead of bass lessons, he would go and play tennis with the bass teacher. That's, that's what they would do for their lessons. (both laugh)
Rebecca: Yeah, they are Congress of Strings. I remember too. I went when I was, I think, 19. I do remember being at the very back of the cello section and feeling just [that it was] the absolute best musical experience I'd ever had.
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: Do you remember what pieces you guys played that summer?
John: Oh, I know we did a lot of string pieces like, you know, Barber, Adagio for Strings [Samuel Barber, 20th century American composer] and so I think it was mainly a string camp, if I recall.
Rebecca: Yup.
John: Now I have all the programs, but I don't remember what other stuff we did. But, you know, there, there's there's a quite a bit of string music that, you know, for string orchestra that we did do.
Rebecca: Yeah. Okay, great, thanks. So let’s see...there had to have been a young artist competition associated with the symphony when you were in high school.
John: Yes.
John: I competed in it and I did not win. Trying to think who, who won, but I don't remember. I remember playing the Dittersdorf [bass] Concerto [Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, 18th century Austrian composer; a concerto is a composition for one or more solo instruments with orchestral accompaniment]
Rebecca: Okay, now let's see. Now I can go back, from Casper College you went to study with Stuart Sankey?
John: Yes, at the University of Texas.
Rebecca: Okay. What do you remember about that period?
John: Well, that really, I mean, propelled me because Stuart used to be on the, the faculty of Juilliard, [the Julliard School of Music in New York City, one of the most prestigious music schools in the country] and he, he was in the … [NBC Symphony] Orchestra with Toscanini. [Arturo Toscanini, late 19th and early 20th century Italian conductor] So and when … [Sankey] left Juilliard, he went down to Texas. And he was a great pedagogue. And I know in his studio he had 20 bass players and he was really committed to teaching. And he really also, he did a lot of editing of music for International Music Company. And he he really was the one that that built a solid foundation for me, just as far as, you know, upping the ante on, on, on my technique and just learning how to play the bass in general. So and I studied with him for two and a half years, or I guess it was two years at the University of Texas. And then he was actually leaving to go to Indiana University and asked me if I wanted to go there. And I decided not to. And I auditioned for the New England Conservatory in Boston and got in. So when he left Indiana, I came to Boston and finished my undergrad degree at New England Conservatory.
Rebecca: Yeah, and I think your bio said that your teacher was the assistant principal of the Boston Symphony.
John: Yeah, right. Yeah. Larry Wolfe was my teacher and he still is in the orchestra and he's still the assistant principal. So we, you know, we go way back together.
Rebecca: Yeah, well, I noticed that in your bio, after you finished your bachelor’s, you successfully auditioned for the Houston Symphony, the New Orleans Symphony and the Indianapolis Symphony.
John: Yes. Yeah, I had three, three different jobs, with the first job that I actually won was in Houston, and that was a year's position down there. And from Houston, I was, after I finished the job there, I was kind of idle just figuring out what I was going to do next. And a friend of mine was the principal bass of the New Orleans Philharmonic at the time, and they had an opening for six months. So he, I didn't actually audition, but he knew me and he said, Why don't you come down to New Orleans and play for six months, which I did, and that was a blast. And from there I was taking, actively taking auditions. But from there I auditioned for the Indianapolis Symphony and won a position there, a permanent position. But I was only there for a year and a half, and that's when I auditioned for Boston and got into the Boston Symphony.
Rebecca: Okay. So looks like you were 30 years old when you got into the Boston Symphony.
John: Yeah, that is correct.
Rebecca: Okay. So it only took you, what, maybe 15 years to get your skills from beginning bass player to Boston Symphony.
John: Yeah, that's, that's about the correct time frame.
Rebecca: Yeah. And jumping from piano to a stringed instrument, that's a big jump, so I know you played piano for a long time before you took bass, but it's still,
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: very impressive. Yeah. So for the, for the classical music people who will be listening to this oral history later, can you tell us what pieces in general are on the audition lists for bass.
John: Like, yeah, yeah I will. Most of the lists for the auditions are pretty standard and across the board for all orchestras, but with, with few variations. Well, what's interesting to me is that, you know, I was auditioning, you know, almost 40 years ago, and, you know, I'm teaching, you know, these students today and they bring in these lists and they are basically a lot of the same things that that I had to audition with. So those would be like Beethoven symphonies, like Beethoven Symphony Number Five and Beethoven Symphony Number Nine. There are a lot of excerpts for the bass out of those two symphonies, the Mozart symphonies, Number 35, the “Haffner” Symphony, and the Symphony Number 40 also of Mozart is also a very popular audition piece. Schubert, “The Great” C Major Symphony Number Nine is also a big audition piece [Franz Schubert, 19th century Austrian composer] Richard Strauss “Ein Heldenleben” is a very popular audition piece for bass players, as is “Also Sprach Zarathustra” or 2001 The Space Odyssey as everyone—[Richard Strauss, 19th and 20th century German composer and conductor (son of Johann Strauss of “Blue Danube” fame.)]
Rebecca: Yeah
John: Berlioz “Symphonie Fantastique” is a very popular piece also. [Hector Berlioz, 19th century French composer and conductor] Oh, Brahms symphonies. Even any of the Brahms symphonies are usually asked on an audition as well as, you know, a solo piece of your choice. And also it's very popular on auditions for bass players, usually a movement from a Bach cello suite [Johann Sebastian Bach composed six suites for solo cello. On the bass, they are much harder to play than on the cello. The suites each have six movements, which are mostly stylized dances, except for the Prelude] And that's that's pretty much standard rep that you'll see on a, on an audition list for any of the major orchestras in America.
Rebecca: Yeah, you know, it's not so very different from some cello auditions.
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: [That] obviously are less familiar with way back in the day.
John: Yeah No, that's true.
Rebecca: Yeah. Okay. Well, let's see, before we move (pauses) oh, wait a minute. Maybe backing up a little bit. I'm not sure at what point … your bio mentioned Aspen, the Aspen Festival, The Grand Teton Festival and Tanglewood.
John: Yes.
Rebecca: I want to cover all those. Maybe in chronological order.
John: Yeah, sure. Let's see. The Aspen Festival. When I was in Texas, my first year in Texas that summer, I auditioned for the Aspen Festival, and that was under the encouragement of my teacher, Stuart Sankey, because he taught at the Aspen Festival [Summer music festival in Aspen, Colorado]. So I auditioned and I got a scholarship there my first year, and I studied with him in the summer, and then I went again the following summer and I studied with a, with the principal bass player of the New York Philharmonic. I, of course, asked Mr. Sankey if I could have permission to study with him, and he encouraged it. And this, the principal bass of the New York Philharmonic at the time was this Russian, and his name was Eugene Levinson. And he made quite a splash because he immigrated to America. And when he first came, his English was quite poor. And I remember we, where I lived in Aspen, we lived with, in a condo with three other bass players, and we all studied with him and he would come over and we would always tease him about his English because he would say, “Now use the bow like spoon.” And we could never understand what what the hell he was talking about. (both laugh) But he would, he would spend all afternoon at our condo and, you know, we would make cookies or brownies with him. And we he was a really great teacher. And I learned a lot from him that summer at Aspen. But, but and also we, we’re friends to this day, too. Whenever we play Carnegie Hall in New York, I usually will see him. And he always asks me about Wyoming because he knew I was the kid from Wyoming. So he was very friendly. But after the Aspen experience, when I came to the New England Conservatory, the summer after my first year at New England, I auditioned for the Tanglewood Music Festival and I got into that festival. And that's, that's a highly competitive festival to get into. And they take seven bass players every year. And I went for two years and my teacher, Larry Wolfe, is also, because it's part of, the Boston Symphony summer home. A lot of the players from Boston will teach there also, so Larry was teaching at the time. And that, that really, the level of playing in the Tanglewood Music Center, the student orchestra, is just extremely high. And a lot of people that have played there play in major orchestras, like in Boston Symphony, I would say at least more than half of the people went to Tanglewood, and I know eight out of the nine bass players in this section all were at Tanglewood. So, you know, it's a springboard, you know, into national orchestras for sure.
Rebecca: Yeah, Well, with the high standard it’s not surprising.
John: Yeah, Yeah. The standard was really high. But then after Tanglewood that was in, I think my last year at Tanglewood was 1983 and I graduated from college at that point, and from 1983 through 1985, 88, I should say, I went to the Grand Teton Music Festival [Summer music festival in Jackson, Wyoming] and played in that festival for five summers, and that was with the the Chinese conductor Ling Tung, that was his festival, he started the festival. And that was, that was a conglomeration of musicians from around the country in major orchestras would go there because a lot of orchestras are off in the summer. So I know there were a lot of people from Houston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Indianapolis. So there were just, you know, a lot of different people coming together from across the country playing in that orchestra. Also, the New York Philharmonic had a few people also.
Rebecca: Yeah, let's back up briefly, unless you have more to say about the Teton Festival.
John: Yeah, Teton Festival was really great. I mean, it was for me because it was like, you know, being home again. And it was good also because I got to play a lot of chamber music up there, which was nice, with smaller ensembles and also you get to kind of mingle with different guys from different orchestras and, you know, find out what's what's going on there. And not to mention, you know, the you know, being in Jackson for the summer is always a lot of fun.
Rebecca: Mhmm.
John: And so that that, that aspect of it was really great. But the music making was also very good. You know, they had, you know, really topnotch soloists . And, and the programming was always very good. And the audiences, you know, because it's such a small hall, I think it's 900 seats, you know, they would always have a full audience for the concerts, which is always, you know, inspiring for for the players.
Rebecca: Yeah. Okay. Briefly back to Aspen and maybe at Tanglewood also. But I auditioned for the Aspen, for a fellowship to the Aspen Festival a couple of times. Never did make it, I wasn't quite up to it, technically, apparently.
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: So can you say a little bit about the fellowship, what it covers, and what you got to do as a student there, as well as just having the private lessons and what the opportunities were for listening and so on.
John: Yeah. You know, once again, that was an eight week festival and I know the scholarship cost, you know, was room and board basically. And, and your lessons and your place, you have to audition because there are several different student orchestras in Aspen. There's like a chamber orchestra, which is the, the top notch one where you get to play with, with most of the teachers playing in the orchestra also. And then there's the big festival orchestra, which is a larger orchestra and not as many teachers playing it. But I know a lot of the teachers do play in that one also. That's the one I played in. And you're you're given an op—you're given an opportunity to play a lot of different repertoire. So we would give, you know, I think at least two concerts a week in the, in the tent up there in Aspen, which was a nice setting also. But there was also a lot of chamber music that you could attend. So, you know, all of that stuff was free to students. Once again, there were master classes that you could go to and a lot, lot of different opportunities to perform for, like for us, for fellow bass players in master classes, we would play for each other, which is always helpful and, you know, lots of constructive criticism and also lots of different levels of playing. So you could see, you know, guys that were really accomplished and sort of strive for that, see what those guys are doing and, and pick their brains and yeah, that's about it. It was, you know, lots of opportunities to to play and be heard. That's what I remember. Those are my biggest memories from Aspen.
Rebecca: Okay. And how about Tanglewood? More about what went on there and, [Tanglewood is the famed summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its training academy, the Tanglewood Music Center, as well as the Boston Pops. Located between Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts]
John: Yeah, Tanglewood. That, everyone that goes out, comes out of Tanglewood, the experience is very unique because the scheduling at Tanglewood, it's eight weeks, and you are scheduled, basically your hours during the day are spent playing, whether it's with a chamber group or with orchestra or with lessons or with master classes, they really don't get, hardly give you any time to practice. You know, when you do practice, you have to do it, I mean, we would practice at night so that we would have, you know, 10, 12 hour days of, you know, rehearsals and then your own personal practice. But the, everyone that comes out of that, it's funny because you don't realize the benefits of the, of Tanglewood until September or October because you have to get away from it. And that's when you realize how much you've absorbed. And I think that's, it's funny because you talk to people about their experience there and, you know, basically everyone will say that was saying I don't remember what happened, you know, it was such a blitz. But then when you settle down and start working on your own again, you realize what you've learned, You know, what kind of experience you've gotten out of it. And I mean, because you're working with some really, you know, top notch people and just I mean, it was, definitely expanded my my playing to a level, you know, that that got me to where I am. I mean, I really think it was, you know, totally responsible for, for getting me a job, basically.
Rebecca: Okay, great. I'd like to back up just briefly.
John: Sure.
Rebecca: For people who might not know what a master class is in addition to, in addition to your fellow students being present, can you say a little more
John: What was the last part, Becky?
Rebecca: Can you say a little more about master classes in addition to the fact that there are a lot of students present?
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: What actually goes on?
John: Yeah, in a master class. Okay. Usually master classes are held for all instruments, but usually there will be a specific instrument focus for a master class. So for us at Tanglewood, I remember one of the master classes was with Eugene Levinson, who was the principal bass of the New York Philharmonic. So he was the guest speaker. So he, a master class, he will he'll run the class. And basically what it is, maybe two or three students are asked to prepare, like either a solo piece or specific orchestral excerpts, and they will come in and with an audience they will play what they prepared for the person for the master class who was Mr. Levinson. And then he does a critique of what you're playing. He will do some playing for you, so you'll get to hear how he interprets what you just played and and provide constructive criticism. And and he will take questions about, you know, what he's done or his choice. You know, he'll use a certain fingering that you, you know, kind of helps, you know, make certain passages easier or he will suggest, you know, different bowings so that you know, to make things more musical or make it easier and you know the master classes and then you know he'll open up the floor after everyone's played. And so you really get a taste of what, you know, a different perspective, I should say, during master classes. [A fingering is a marking in the music specifiying which finger should play which note. A bowing is a marking specifying which way the bow should be drawn (to the right or to the left) on which notes]
Rebecca: Well, that's very interesting because in all the master classes I've ever observed or participated in, I do not remember feedback being solicited from the attenders; it was more like a public, public one-on-one lesson.
John: Yeah, that that's, that's how it starts. And it can open up. It depends who's running the class I guess.
Rebecca: Yeah.
John: Because I've been doing master classes with Yo-Yo Ma before and it, he really runs them like, you know, one-on-one lessons which are, you know, very interesting to watch. You see the, you know, the transformation of a student. You know, it gives them like a magical fingering, you know, that that really changes things up. [Yo-Yo Ma, a contemporary American cello soloist and teacher; a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half.]
Rebecca: Yeah. Okay. Briefly, I want to jump back to Casper.
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: Does any one performance or rehearsal or musical experience from your time in Casper jump out at you as being a high point or something you still remember?
John: It's funny because I do. I do think of the Brahms symphony that I played with with the Casper Symphony. It's one of the things that really got me excited, and that was that was kind of like a high point for me.
Rebecca: Yeah. Okay. And a related question for the entire scope of your career, can you identify a musical high point?
John: I've had quite a few, but I think, you know, having the opportunity to play with, you know, some really great conductors like, you know, Seiji Ozawa was our was our principal conductor in Boston. A big part of my career. I mean, we played some great concerts with him. [Seiji Ozawa, Japanese conductor and music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 29 years] But in particular, we had a guest conductor whose name was Bernard Haitink, and he was from the Netherlands, and we did an opera, a Wagner opera called the Götterdammerung from the Ring Cycle. [A four-opera series by late 19th century German composer Richard Wagner, based on Norse legends] And his interpretation was just like, it was out of this world. And it's a performance that I will never forget in my life. He has since died, but his interpretations, Wagner interpretations, were just unbelievable. [Bernard Haitink, Dutch conductor and violinist, and the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961]
Rebecca: Okay, Wagner then. Very interesting. That was, Götterdammerung is one of the longer of the four, isn't it?
John: Yes, it is. Yes.
Rebecca: Hours or something.
John: Those operas can be very long.
Rebecca: (laughs)
John: I know Wagner, Parsifal, and also Parsifal is like five and a half hours. I've never played any of those that were that long. Yeah, they can be. [Parsifal is a stand-alone opera, not part of the Ring Cycle]
Rebecca: Okay. All right, let's see. I have one more question before I will ask you if there's anything else you want to tell us. And that question is coming out of my own experience with the few bass players I know. They typically do not stick with classical music only,
John: Yeah.
Rebecca: but they go across the board into jazz and other genres. What's your experience on this question?
John: (laughs) Yes, it's funny you ask because I, in high school I was, I played a lot of electric bass and I used to play with Jim Cox and the Outlaws. I don't know if you remember that name, but we would play at the Elks Club or, you know, VFW on the weekends. And I remember, my friends in high school, they would be pumping gas all week and I would play these gigs on the weekend, and that's what I was doing to make money. So I did a lot of that. And I also played with the Salt Creek Jazz Band with and if you remember, Bob Bovie, the pianist, and he was, he conducted the Natrona County High School Orchestra, [in Casper]. And I played with that band a lot on the electric bass. As an aside, I have to say that Bob Bovie was also another big influence on what good musicianship is because he was really a fine pianist and a really fine jazz pianist too. So he he taught me a lot about timing and rhythm. Then after that, I'm trying to think, Oh, I used [to] I did a lot of jamming with jazz bands in Casper, a lot of jam sessions that I think Dale Bohren actually [indistinguishable] a lot of these people like Tracy Pfau that we used to play with. So that was a lot of fun. [In a jam session, musicians typically play informally together, improvising, and planning the session as they go] And I kept the electric bass through college. And when I when I showed up in Boston and started going to school, I, I wanted to play a little bit, but there was a jazz department at New England Conservatory, and I heard so many good bass players—and jazz bass players—that I sort of figured out that unless you dedicate yourself to either jazz or classical, you know, it's really hard to do both of them well. So I dropped the electric bass at that point.
Rebecca: Okay, that reminds me, somewhere along the way, did you also drop piano?
John: Yeah, I played piano through my year. One year at Casper College. I studied with Paula Hitt, I think was her name, at Casper. And I played a couple of recitals up there, and then I stopped taking lessons at that point. But it was good for testing out of all the piano labs at college. [Many music majors, no matter what their major instrument is, are required to achieve a basic level of piano proficiency for their bachelor’s degree]
Rebecca: Yeah.
John: Which was nice. And I still, I still play a little bit of piano. My mother was also a very good pianist. She was a good influence.
Rebecca: Okay. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your life as a bass player?
John: I mean, just looking back at it, it's been, you know, an incredible way to, I don't know, to get through life. I mean, making money and doing something that you really love, you know, at this level has been, you know, it's like a dream come true for me and, you know, to be a hard one to replicate. But, you know, I feel like I've been very lucky and blessed to be able to do this at this level. And, you know, couldn't think of anything better, you know, that that would happen. I mean, there's, you think of the, you know how things work out and there's there's a lot of work involved with with being successful, a lot of work involved. And also there's there's a, bit of luck involved, too. And, you know, being the audition process is really hyper-competitive. And, you know, you’ve just got to go in the day of the audition and hope that it's your day, you know, hope that all that all the cylinders are firing. But when you do get that job, I mean, it is, there's nothing like it. And it's given me opportunities. You know, I've traveled around the world and I've played in so many different countries and seen a lot of different things, you know, played a lot of excellent music, you know, played with some of the world's best soloists and conductors. And musicians in general are a pretty particular group. And they can be very difficult and they can be a lot of fun. And just being able to experience that and, you know, have a have artistic view of how the world works has just been, you know, enriching for me, it's been a lot of just happy memories. That's that's how I view how things have worked out and just, you know, I'm grateful for everything. I never take anything for granted.
Rebecca: Yeah. Now, you jogged my memory. There was a question I almost forgot to ask, which is, traveling with a double bass. I mean, I have flown with my cello enough times to know what that's like, but the bass is so much bigger and I'll just hand over to you at this point. Can you tell us about that?
John: Yeah. Well, during the, you know, auditioning process, when I was out of school, you know, in college, you take an audition, you would have to buy a seat on the airplane when when you would fly with the bass to an audition. Of course, after 9/11, all of that went down the tubes. Now you have to, as a student, students have to put their bass in a trunk and, you know, check the trunk into the plane and go to the audition. It's much more difficult. But once you get into an orchestra, you're, it's, it becomes so much easier because they they have these big travel trunks that we stick our instruments in. Basically, you just have to show up at the the hall where we're playing and everything is set up for you. And they have a big stage crew. So we just, you know, they, they transport all of our belongings and concert wear and our instruments to the venue. So your job is to show up being, you know, fed and refreshed, you know, ready to play a concert on tour. And they make it very easy for you and you really get spoiled when you go on tour with the orchestra.
Rebecca: Yeah. Okay. Well, I guess I'm going to stop the recording.