American String Teachers Association of Arizona

Tucson Bass Jam
2026-01-18 12:30 - 18:00 (America/Phoenix) | Arizona
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Tucson Bass Jam 2026

University of ArizonaSchool of Music1017 N. Olive RoadSunday, January 18th, 202612:30 – 6 PM

Directors

Faculty Director: Dr. Philip Alejo, University of Arizona (palejo@arizona.edu)Lead Teachers: Dr. Kelsey Nussbaum and Lisa BrownGuest Artist: David Murray, Butler University (https://www.icomusic.org/team/david-murray/)

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 2026 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 knuss@arizona.edu.

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 palejo@arizona.edu 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

12:00Arrival and registration12:30Introduction, bass orchestra rehearsal1:30Technique class, Teacher class2:15Break2:30Masterclass with Guest Artist3:30Special class with Guest Artist; YB Breakout Rehearsal4:30Bass orchestra run-through4:45Break5:00Final Performance

Guest Artist Biography

David Murray has an international reputation as a solo bassist and teacher. He is currently Professor of Bass and Director of the School of Music at Butler University in Indianapolis and Principal Bassist of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. He also plays as Principal Bassist with Sinfonia da Camera in Urbana, Illinois, and at the Bear Valley Music Festival in northern California. Before coming to Indianapolis, David was Instructor of Bass at West Texas A&M University and principal with the Amarillo Symphony. He has been a member of the Dallas Chamber Orchestra and toured twice with the Irish Chamber Orchestra.

David’s first private teacher was bass virtuoso Gary Karr, with whom he studied in high school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and at the Hartt Music School, University of Hartford, in Connecticut. Summers were spent at Tanglewood and the Aspen Music Festival, where he worked with Stuart Sankey. At Aspen, he won the 1981 concerto competition. In Los Angeles in1988 he won the International Society of Bassists (ISB) Solo Competition, the first prize being a solo debut at Carnegie Hall. David has made solo appearances, both in recital and with orchestra, and given clinics and masterclasses throughout the United States, his native Canada, and in South Korea, Brazil, Israel, Scotland, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Holland.

He has performed at several summer chamber music festivals including Scotia Festival, Killington, and Cape May. In June, 2001, David hosted the ISB convention at Butler University for 800 bassists from 27 countries and is currently a Past-President of the ISB. He has been published in the ISB journal, Double Bassist magazine, the Suzuki Association of America journal, and American String Teachers journal. He has recorded three solo CD’s (most recently in 2012), a duo CD with bassist Diana Gannett, is a founding member of the bass quartet Bad Boys of Bass with whom he released a CD in 2006, and he released a DVD of theater music in the spring of 2003.

Most recently he was awarded the ISB’s Special Recognition Award for Solo Performance.

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Fiddle Fest
2025-02-22 09:00 - 14:30 | Basha High School, 5990 S Val Vista Dr, Chandler, Arizona, 85249, United States
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Fiddle Fest 2025

We are excited to invite you to the 11th Annual Fiddle Fest, hosted in conjunction with Gilbert Town Fiddlers and sponsored by Milano Music! Fiddle Fest is a day for string players of any age, both students and teachers, to explore different fiddling traditions. All ability levels and bowed string instruments (violin, viola, cello, and bass!) are welcome. It will be a packed day of fun tunes, new techniques, grooving, and performances from students and professionals!

Saturday, February 22, 20259:00 am – 2:30 pmBasha High School, 5990 S Val Vista Dr, Chandler, AZ 85249

Registration Fee: $50 for students (includes t-shirt and lunch if you register by Feb. 13)

Online registration will close on Feb. 20 at 11:59 PM, but registrants will be accepted in-person on the day of the event.

While the event is geared towards student-aged musicians, teachers and young professionals are also welcome to participate and/or observe classes throughout the day! ASTA members can attend for free; non-ASTA teachers can attend for $20.

We are especially excited to share that this year’s guest instructors are Devon Gardner (fiddle & guitar) & Adam Gurczak (bass)! These Boston-based musicians, both originally from the East Valley, have been making waves in New England as artists and educators, both solo and together as a folk duo (So Blue). With their vast performance experiences and educational chops, we are excited to bring them back home to teach, share with, and perform for our community!

To learn more about the Fiddle Fest faculty and view further schedule information, visit: www.gilberttownfiddlers.com/fiddlefest

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Young Artists Recital
2024-10-20 18:30 - 20:30 | First Studio, 631 N 1st Ave, Phoenix, Arizona, 85003, United States
Please join us for our first annual Young Artists Recital hosted by ASTA!

This event will feature students from around the valley who are embarking on their journey in music. This is an excellent opportunity for students to perform works that they will be playing throughout the 24/25 school year, and will be a great way to share their music with a live audience.

I am beyond thrilled to announce that our partner for our event is Downtown Chamber Series, run by one of our most important community builders and allies, Mark Dix. The concert will take place in a beautiful historic art space in Downtown Phoenix, and will feature many art works by various local artists. The concert will be open to the public and will be free to attend.

Participation in this event is open to students of ASTA members only, so if you are not a member and wish to join, please do so by September 15th, as your student will need your membership number to apply. Please fill out the form available on the website and return it no later than September 15th. The final performers and concert order will be announced October 1st.

First Studio is located on the East side of 1st Ave between McKinley and Filmore.

First Avenue is one-way south and is divided by the light rail track. From I-10,Exit 7th Avenue SouthLeft at RooseveltRight at 1st AvenueAfter crossing McKinley, you will see the gallery on your left. PARK IN THE FREE LOT ON THE RIGHT labeled “IT Institute”After parking you will have to walk across 1st Ave to enter the gallery. If the “IT Institute” lot is full, there is a small free lot adjacent to the gallery.

There is also street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

AND

Dominique van de Stadt

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