The University will be serenaded this weekend by an army of stand-up bassists, both local and international, as the Louisiana Bass Festival returns to campus. Double bass professor Yung-Chiao Wei organized the two-day festival for bass players and enthusiasts alike.
The program started roughly four years ago and has grown since then. Wei hopes to bring bassists together through this program to help them learn the power of community and cooperation.
“Not a lot of people play the double bass,” Wei said. “That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to bring awareness to the community and show them what bass players can do.”
This year, the festival will feature two guest artists, Diana Gannett, professor emeritus of double bass at the University of Michigan and Zi-ping Chen, professor of double bass at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. Chen is also bringing students from China to participate in the festival.
A solo competition portion of the festival is open to those who apply ahead of time. The grand prize winner will win an $800 bow courtesy of the Guarneri House in Baton Rouge. Along with the bow, the winner will be able to perform solo in the concert on Saturday.
Alongside the competition and master classes, Wei has incorporated another element to the bass festival — tai chi classes. She said practicing tai chi is beneficial to all musicians, particularly bassists, because of the large nature of their instrument.
“The double bass is such a big instrument and very difficult to play,” Wei said. “The tai chi helps to teach breathing techniques and core stance to help them be aware of their body position and how they can incorporate that into their bass playing.”
Wei said she hopes to be a role model to anyone who plays or is considering taking up playing. She encourages more people to try double bass.
“It’s tough because I would like to attract as many bassists as possible, but there are very few in the state,” Wei said. “Last year, we attracted students from out-of-state to come for the festival and this year we have international students so it’s definitely growing.”
Though it had humble beginnings in 2012, the festival is to amassing acclaim. Wei is determined to continue her work as the head of the festival while also teaching at the University. She finds getting bass players together in groups has huge benefits for the community.
“By working together, I really think we are more alive and I can see a lot of my students don’t like to practice alone, they like to work with groups,” Wei said. “When we come together, it’s a really great force.”
The Louisiana Bass Festival will take place this weekend and will include the solo competition, master classes from guest artists and a concert featuring all participants. It is open to anyone who plays stand-up bass.
The free concert is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the LSU School of Music Recital Hall.
You can reach Sadie McDade on Twitter @sadiemcdadie.