6. Boston University – Boston, MA
Notable Faculty: Edwin Barker
One of the pre-eminent string teachers and performers, Edwin Barker’s pedagogy is informed by many years of professional experience as a prominent double bassist. His professional experience includes being selected by Maestro Georg Solti to lead the double bass section of the United Nations’ orchestra for a special performance in 1995. Prior to that experience, he was appointed the principal bassist of the Boston Symphony at age 22 while a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Still an active orchestral musician and highly regarded bass pedagogue, Edwin Barker prepares students in the tradition of orchestral bass. Equally at home with solo repertoire, Barker has also publicly engaged in many of the most difficult concerti written for the double bass. Expect an all-around education if you choose to study with Edwin Barker or any of the other accomplished faculty at BU.
Listen to the Faculty: Check out Edwin Barker’s CD Three Sonatas for Double Bass
5. New England Conservatory – Boston, MA
Notable Faculty: Todd Seeber, Donald Palma
A faculty with an intensive focus on orchestral performance, several of the double bassists on the faculty of the New England Conservatory belong to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Mainstays in the classical music scene of Boston, the teachers here are cited frequently as excellent masters who have successfully sent students to some of the finest ensembles in the entire world. The aforementioned faculty includes Donald Palma, who is considered one of the foremost teaching experts for the double bass, having given master classes at Juilliard, Rice, MSM, and even internationally at schools such as Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, Japan.
4. Michigan State University – East Lansing, MI
Notable Faculty: Jack Budrow
An extremely well-known teacher whose students have gone on to play in the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Charleston, Cincinnati, Chicago Civic, Florida Gulf Coast, Grand Rapids, Houston, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Jack Budrow is, along with Eugene Levinson, Edgar Meyer, and Paul Ellison, one of the foremost teachers for double bass performance in the US. His studio, located at Michigan State University, is situated amongst an impressive school of music departments, making this spot an ideal choice for a student passionate for double bass performance.