Tucson Bass Jam

Tucson Bass Jam 2025

Directors

Faculty Director: Dr. Philip Alejo, University of Arizona ([email protected])
Lead Teachers: Dr. Kelsey Nussbaum and Lisa Brown
Guest Artist: Eleonore Oppenheim, Broadway bassist (https://eobass.com/bio)

The Tucson Bass Jam is an ASTA-sponsored clinic for beginning, intermediate, and advanced double bass students, music educators, and community bass players of any age from Southern Arizona. Attendees will participate in workshops, rehearse as a bass orchestra, and give an informal performance at the end of the day.

As part of the 2025 Bass Jam, we will create a program designed for the classroom teacher in mind. Dr. Kelsey Nussbaum will facilitate breakout sessions for non-bass playing orchestra teachers to learn how to better support and differentiate for their bass students while also gaining hands-on bass practice. Please bring an instrument from your school to use during the Tucson Bass Jam. If you have questions about the teacher workshop element, please reach out to Kelsey Nussbaum at [email protected].

Registration and Fees

The registration fee per student for the Tucson Bass Jam is $10. Students will need to bring their own instruments, bows, and endpin stopper. Parents, teachers, or other chaperones may accompany their students to Tucson Bass Jam free of charge. We request that any student 13 or under be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or adult chaperone during the event. Fee waivers are available: please contact Dr. Alejo at [email protected] for more information.

Registration: Participants should visit and register on the AZ-ASTA website. Registration on the day of the event will be possible, but not recommended.

Experience Level Assignments

Using the descriptions below, consult with your teacher to determine your performance level. Participants will be divided into four levels.

Level 1:  Advanced Bassists able to perform in upper positions and read tenor clef. 

Level 2:  Bassists comfortable with all positions to first-octave harmonic. 

Level 3:  Bassists comfortable with the notes in first, second, and third positions. 

Level 4:  Bassists with an understanding of first and half position notes.

Schedule

Guest Artist Biography

Eleonore Oppenheim is a genre surfing musical polyglot. Her current projects include big dog little dog (a duo with composer/violinist Jessie Montgomery), an acoustic trio with art-pop auteur Glasser and multi-instrumentalist Robbie Lee, and the avant folk-jazz supergroup the Hands Free (with James Moore, Caroline Shaw, and Nathan Koci), among others. Eleonore has an exciting repertoire of commissioned solo pieces and has also worked with established composers including Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Meredith Monk, in composer-led ensembles like Missy Mazzoli’s “all-star, all female” bandsemble Victoire and Florent Ghys’ low strings and drums powerhouse Bonjour, with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, and with many other artists from the indie rock, jazz, and folk worlds.

In addition to writing and arranging music, she has established herself as a go-to chamber musician, soloist, recording artist, and large ensemble player. Eleonore enjoys working in the theater as well and credits include Daniel Fish’s groundbreaking reimagining of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” off- and on Broadway and “Illinoise,” Justin Peck’s dance drama setting of Sufjan Stevens’ music, off and on Broadway. Also a music educator, she currently runs a new music program for teens called Face the Music at the Kaufman Music Center and also teaches and is ensembles manager at Special Music High School. She is an alumna of the Juilliard School, the Yale School of Music, and Stony Brook University.