A Tribute to Teppo

Primo contrabbasso solista dal 1991 dell’Orchestra e della Filarmonica della Scala, vincitore nel 1991 del Concorso dell’ARD di Monaco di Baviera, è stato premiato anche al Concorso “Bottesini” di Parma nel 1989.
Di recente uscita il CD Sextet (etichetta Decam-Tdd/Edel), che comprende sedici sue composizioni da cui traspare l’interesse per forme musicali moderne, dal jazz alla new age. In tale contesto ha suonato in quintetto anche con Bobby Mc Ferrin, e in trio con Stefano Bollani in un concerto con la Filarmonica della Scala e Riccardo Chailly registrato su DVD per la Decca.
È docente a Milano presso l’Accademia della Scala e la Scuola Musicale; tiene inoltre masterclass in Italia e nel mondo, recentemente anche in Messico, dove nel giugno 2017 è stato invitato per la prima esecuzione del Concerto per contrabbasso e orchestra L’Inferno di José Alejandro Hernàndez Cadengo, e a Taiwan, dove ha eseguito un recital alla Taipei National Hall.
Dal 2016 è docente ai Corsi di perfezionamento dell’Accademia Chigiana di Siena, e da settembre 2017 è stato nominato “Visiting International Teacher” al Conservatorio di Birmingham.

http://www.ettorre.it

Giuseppe Ettorre, contrabbasso
Alessandro Serra, contrabbasso
Roberto Parretti, contrabbasso

Alessandro Serra dal 1996 è membro stabile dell’ Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala e dell’ Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala.
Nel 2002 è inoltre risultato alla presenza del M° Riccardo Muti secondo Idoneo al Concorso per il posto di I° Contrabbasso.
Nel 2018 è stato invitato come Primo Contrabbasso ospite alla Royal Swedish Opera House a Stoccolma con il Maestro Alan Gilbert e alla Trondheim Symphony Orchestra (Norvegia) con il Maestro Han-na Chang. Nel 2016 e 2017 è stato membro della Lucerna Festival Orchestra.
Nel 1999 ha ottenuto il 2° Premio al prestigioso Concorso Internazionale per Contrabbasso Solista "Giovanni Bottesini” a Crema e il 2° Premio al Concorso Internazionale di Musica da Camera per Duo al Gubbio Festival (PG).
Diplomato nel 1992 col Prof. Raffaello Majoni con il massimo dei voti e la Lode al Conservatorio “Bruno Maderna” di Cesena si è poi perfezionato col M° Franco Petracchi all’Accademia W.Stauffer di Cremona. Successivamente, sotto la guida del M° Giuseppe Ettorre ha conseguito il Diploma Superiore con voto finale "Eccellente" all’Accademia L. Perosi di Biella.
Dal 1992 al 1996 è stato membro delle Orchestre “European Union Youth Orchestra” e “Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester”, sotto la direzione dei Maestri Claudio Abbado, Bernard Haitink, Carlo Maria Giulini, Mstislav Rostropovich, Vladimir Ashkenazy.
In qualità di Solista si è esibito in Italia e all’estero ( Francia, Svizzera, Brasile, Bulgaria). Ha inciso musiche di Giovanni Bottesini con la Plovdiv Philarmonic (BG) per la Casa Discografica “Music Minus One” di New York (CD MMO n°4308 www.musicminusone.com).
In campo cameristico collabora con “I Cameristi della Scala” l'Ensamble Entr'Acte e ha collaborato con la "Mahler Chamber Orchestra”.
Dal 2006 è Docente ai corsi di Alto Perfezionamento Estivi del Festival JCE (jazz,classica etnica) di Bertinoro–Forlì, e dal 2010 è docente ai corsi di Alto Perfezionamento del Festival di Musica da Camera di Pasqua a Cervo (Imperia).
Nel 2016 ha tenuto anche un Corso di Perfezionamento Estivo a Matera, European Cultural Capital.
Con la formazione Joke 3io ha inciso un brano per NBBrecords all'interno dell'album A Tribute to Teppo dedicato al compositore e contrabbassista finlandese Teppo Hauta-aho.

Alessandro Serra from 1996 is member of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and of La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra.
In audition 2002 Maestro Riccardo Muti selected him to play also as Principal Double Bass.
In 2018 was invited as Guest Principal Double-bass at the Royal Swedish Opera House in Stockholm with Maestro Alan Gilbert and at the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra in Norway with Maestro Han-na Chang.
In 2016 and 2017 was a member of the Lucerna Festival Orchestra with Maestro Riccardo Chailly.
In 1999 he received "Second Prize " in the prestigious International Solo Competition "Giovanni Bottesini" and "Second Prize" in International Chamber Music Competition for Duo in Gubbio Festival (Perugia, Italy).
Alessandro Serra was student of Maestro Franco Petracchi ,Giuseppe Ettorre, Raffaello Majoni.
From 1992 to 1996 he was member of the European Union Youth Orchestra and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester with Maestro Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Carlo Maria Giulini , Bernard Haitink, Mstislav Rostropovich.
As Soloist made tour in Italy , Brasil, Switzerland, Bulgaria, ecc.
In 1999 recorded a CD for Music Minus One of New York on Bottesini Concertos (www.musicminusone.com CD MMO 4308. ).
He is also member of Cameristi della Scala and had tour with Mahler Chamber Orchestra and "Ensamble 900”.
From 2006 is giving also regular Master Classes in Bertinoro-Forlì JCE (Jazz, Classic, Etnic) Summer Music Festival and from 2010 in Easter Chamber Music Festival in Cervo-Imperia, Italy.
In 2016 gave also a Master Course in Matera, European Cultural Capital.
As a member of Joke 3io he is present in the NBBrecords album A Tribute to Teppo dedicated to the finnish composer and double bassist Teppo Hauta-aho.

Roberto Parretti fa parte dell’Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala e della Filarmonica della Scala di Milano da dieci anni e da sei collabora come primo contrabbasso con i Cameristi della Scala.
Figlio d’arte, romano di origine, cresce in Venezuela a Caracas dove comincia l’approccio musicale prima nel coro di voci bianche e poi successivamente intraprende lo studio della tromba; qualche anno dopo torna in Italia e matura la passione per il contrabbasso, diplomandosi con il massimo dei voti presso ilConservatorio Santa Cecilia di Roma.
Durante gli anni del Conservatorio gli viene conferito il premio di competenze superiori della Comunità Europea.
Si perfeziona in seguito con: Giuseppe Ettorre, Thomas Martin, Wolfgang Guttler, Klaus Stoll, Bernard Salles, Antonio Sciancalepore, Gergely Jardanyi.
Dopo il diploma raccoglie i primi successi tenendo concerti da solista con i Cameristi del Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia al Cairo Teatro dell’Opera, New York Hunter Auditorium, Bruxelles Istituto Superiore di Musica I.M.E.P, Mosca sala Tchaikovsky del Conservatorio, Corsica Bastia Teatro Nazionale, Caracas Teatro Teresa Carreno e poi successivamente con i Musici Estensi al Miami Broward Center of Performing Arts, Panama Teatro Comunale, Buenos Aires Teatro Colon, Mar de Plata Teatro Astor Piazzolla, Rosario Teatro Nacional.
Nel 2006 vince il concorso e viene invitato a ricoprire il posto di Principal double bass presso la Symphony of the Americas Miami dove rimarrà circa un anno e con la quale continua la sua collaborazione.
Molto attento alla musica contemporanea si cimenta da sempre in brani e composizioni mai eseguite e inedite per contrabbasso solo, non ultima l’esecuzione di “Spiegel im Spiegel” del compositore Estone Arvo Pärt per violoncello trascritta per contrabbasso ed eseguita durante il Festival Internazionale di Contrabbasso JCE di Bertinoro, per la prima volta assoluta in Italia.
Le opere in suo repertorio sono dedicate soprattutto al contrabbasso solo.
Esprime la propria sensibilità musicale suonando un pregiato strumento francese della metà dell’800, attribuito a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume e un arco anch’esso francese attribuito a Roger Lotte.

Con la formazione Joke 3io ha inciso un brano per NBBrecords all'interno dell'album A Tribute to Teppo dedicato al compositore finlandese Teppo Hauta-aho.

Rob Nairn was appointed in 2017 as Associate Professor of Double Bass at the University of Melbourne Conservatorium of Music having previous taught on the faculty of the Juilliard School, Penn State University, and a Kulas Visiting Artist at Case Western Reserve University.
He is past-president of the International Society of Bassists and hosted the Society’s 2009 Convention at Penn State. In 2008 he was awarded a Howard Foundation Fellowship from Brown University.
Rob received his Bachelor of Music with distinction from the Canberra School of Music and a post-graduate diploma from the Berlin Musikhochschule by courtesy of a two-year DAAD German Government Scholarship. His teachers have included Klaus Stoll, Tom Martin, and Max McBride.
Rob’s performing experience covers Contemporary, Jazz, traditional Orchestral, and Historical Performance Ensembles, with a career that has spanned Europe, the U.S. and Australasia. He has performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic and Gothenburg Symphony, the Melbourne Symphony, the Tasmanian Symphony Chamber Players, the Australia Ensemble, The Australian World Orchestra and the Australian String Quartet.
He has acted as guest Principle Bassist with the Halle Orchestra, the London Mozart players, the Sydney and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and held the position of Principle bass with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist he has performed concerti with the Australian Chamber, Adelaide and Darwin symphony orchestras and Handel and Haydn Society.
Rob has recorded for Deutsche Grammaphon, Sony Classical , EMI, Naxos, Tall Poppies, RCA and ABC Classics; he recently released a CD of double bass and viola duos by American composers and a solo CD of Australian music for bass will be released on the Tall Poppies label in 2014. His recording on the English ‘Coro’ label of Mozart’s “Per Questa Balla Mano” was the first on Viennese bass and his duo CD of the repertoire of Dragonetti and Lindley was released in Oct 2012. A review in the ‘Strad’ described how the players ‘demonstrate their virtuosity and excellent rapport’.
In the Historical performance world he holds the position of Principal Double Bass with the Handel Haydn Society and the Boston Early Music Festival; he is a member of Juilliard Baroque and has also worked with the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique, the English Baroque Soloists, The Smithsonian Chamber Players, Concerto Caledonia, The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Ironwood, Washington Bach Consort, the Aulos Ensemble, Rebel, Florilegium and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Rob is also active in commissioning new works and has premiered more than forty compositions for both solo bass and chamber music featuring the bass, championing in particular the music of Australian composers. In these performances he has worked both alone and with such groups as the London Sinfonietta, Gruppe Neue Musik Berlin, Australysis, the Music Theatre of Wales, and the Sydney Alpha Ensemble. In 2009 he premiered a new concerto by Barry Conyngham and by Doug Bailliet in 2016. He has performed recitals in Europe, Scandinavia, China, the U.S. and Australia.   

Dan Styffe, born in Sweden has had most of his professional career based in Norway. After studies with Göran Nyberg, Knut Guettler and Gary Karr (he also worked as Karr´s assistant in 1981-82) he made his Oslo solo-debut 1985 and after that he has been very active as soloist and chamber musician. He regularly performs in international chamber music festival and as soloist. He also participates in many international double bass conventions around the world like Paris, Berlin, Wroclaw, Penn State, Odense, San Fransisco, Brno, Copenhagen, Iceland, Rochester, Prague, London and Ithaca. He has also been jury member on international bass competitions. Styffe has recorded six critically acclaimed solo CD´s on SIMAX Classics . He recently recorded with violinist Dora Schwarzberg and Øystein Birkeland for ContraClassics and a CD with music by French composer Bernard Salles for the label Fabra. Styffe has also recorded for the English label Prima Facie. He has commissioned many new pieces and works regularly together with many composers for example Rolf Martinsson, Fredrik Högberg, Teppo Hauta-aho, Bernard Salles, Paul Ramsier, Rune Rebne, Henrik Hellstenius, Jon Øyvind Ness, Gisle Kverndokk, John Persen, Asbjørn Schaatun and Ruben Sverre Gjesrtsen and now Marcus Paus and Terje Viken is writing for him. Next commission is a Concerto by Swedish Christian Lindberg which will be premiered with the Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn, February 2018. In April 2011 Styffe premiered and recorded on CD Rolf Martinsson´s Concerto No 1 with Oslo Philharmonic/ Saraste and later same year he recorded Fredrik Högberg´s concerto “Hitting the First Bass” with Tromsø Chamber Orchestra, Leader Kolbjørn Holthe. Styffe performed the world premiere of this concerto with The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra , Leader Isabelle van Keulen. After his studies Styffe got the Principal Bass position in The Norwegian Opera Orchestra and later Principal Bass with The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra (under Iona Brown´s leadership). Now he is Co-Principal in The Oslo Philharmonic (under Mariss Jansons, André Previn and Jukka Pekka Saraste and Vasily Petrenko). Styffe was a member of the chamber ensemble Borealis. Styffe is working together with many international musicians and the closest partners are so far violist Catherine Bullock, pianists Gonzalo Moreno and Ingrid Andsnes and cellist Øystein Birkeland. Late 2011 he recorded duos with violinist Peter Herresthal. Styffe works as Professor of Double Bass at The Norwegian Academy of Music and at Barratt Due´s Institute of Music, Oslo. Dan Styffe plays a Gasparo da Saló double bass made in Brescia, Italia approx. 1580. This instrument is owned by the foundation Dextra Musica/ Sparebankstiftelsen DnB NOR. Dan Styffe, born in Sweden has had most of his professional career based in Norway. After studies with Göran Nyberg, Knut Guettler and Gary Karr (he also worked as Karr´s assistant in 1981-82) he made his Oslo solo-debut 1985 and after that he has been very active as soloist and chamber musician. He regularly performs in international chamber music festival and as soloist. He also participates in many international double bass conventions around the world like Paris, Berlin, Wroclaw, Penn State, Odense, San Fransisco, Brno, Copenhagen, Iceland, Rochester, Prague, London and Ithaca. He has also been jury member on international bass competitions. Styffe has recorded six critically acclaimed solo CD´s on SIMAX Classics . He recently recorded with violinist Dora Schwarzberg and Øystein Birkeland for ContraClassics and a CD with music by French composer Bernard Salles for the label Fabra. Styffe has also recorded for the English label Prima Facie. He has commissioned many new pieces and works regularly together with many composers for example Rolf Martinsson, Fredrik Högberg, Teppo Hauta-aho, Bernard Salles, Paul Ramsier, Rune Rebne, Henrik Hellstenius, Jon Øyvind Ness, Gisle Kverndokk, John Persen, Asbjørn Schaatun and Ruben Sverre Gjesrtsen and now Marcus Paus and Terje Viken is writing for him. Next commission is a Concerto by Swedish Christian Lindberg which will be premiered with the Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn, February 2018. In April 2011 Styffe premiered and recorded on CD Rolf Martinsson´s Concerto No 1 with Oslo Philharmonic/ Saraste and later same year he recorded Fredrik Högberg´s concerto “Hitting the First Bass” with Tromsø Chamber Orchestra, Leader Kolbjørn Holthe. Styffe performed the world premiere of this concerto with The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra , Leader Isabelle van Keulen. After his studies Styffe got the Principal Bass position in The Norwegian Opera Orchestra and later Principal Bass with The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra (under Iona Brown´s leadership). Now he is Co-Principal in The Oslo Philharmonic (under Mariss Jansons, André Previn and Jukka Pekka Saraste and Vasily Petrenko). Styffe was a member of the chamber ensemble Borealis. Styffe is working together with many international musicians and the closest partners are so far violist Catherine Bullock, pianists Gonzalo Moreno and Ingrid Andsnes and cellist Øystein Birkeland. Late 2011 he recorded duos with violinist Peter Herresthal. Styffe works as Professor of Double Bass at The Norwegian Academy of Music and at Barratt Due´s Institute of Music, Oslo. Dan Styffe plays a Gasparo da Saló double bass made in Brescia, Italia approx. 1580. This instrument is owned by the foundation Dextra Musica/ Sparebankstiftelsen DnB NOR.

http://www.thierrybarbe-contrebasse.com http://www.contrebasse.com/ http://www.youtube.com/tbarbecnsmdp

Petru Iuga currently holds a professorship at the University of Music and Arts in Mannheim, Germany. Having received his first training in his native Romania, he was selected by Yehudi Menuhin for the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad (Switzerland). After further training at the Hochschule der Künste-Bern and the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique in Paris, he became a member of the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and principal double bass in the Munich Chamber Orchestra. Petru was also guest solo Double-Bass at the London Symphony Orchestra. He has won numerous prizes at international competitions, including first prizes at the International Double Bass Competition in Markneukirchen, Germany (1999) as well as at the Capbreton International Double Bass Competition in France (2001). Petru Iuga has appeared as soloist with major European orchestras and recorded a CD with the Carmina Quartet in 2009.

Alberto Bocini è docente di contrabbasso alla Haute école de musique de Genève (Geneva HEM). Primo Contrabbasso per cinque anni nell’ Orchestra Nazionale dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia e per quindici  anni nell’Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; ha collaborato con lo stesso ruolo con numerose altre orchestre, fra le quali Teatro alla Scala di Milano, I Solisti Veneti, la London Symphony Orchestra. Ideatore dell'etichetta discografica/editoriale dedicata al contrabbasso NBBrecords. Membro fondatore del quartetto di contrabbassi The Bass Gang, presente nel catalogo NBBrecords con gli albums Evasioni e Fughe, La Contrabbassata e The Chianti Concert. Nel 2012 ha lasciato l’orchestra per dedicarsi con più intensità all’attività cameristica, solistica, all’insegnamento e alla composizione per il proprio strumento. Numerosi sono i suoi brani per contrabbasso solo, fino al recentissimo primo lavoro per contrabbasso e orchestra “XUITE-0, suite modulare per contrabbasso e orchestra” eseguita per la prima volta con l’Orchestra Sinfonica di Porto Alegre, in Brasile.   Alberto Bocini is double bass teacher at the Haute école de musique de Genève (Geneva HEM). He was principal Double Bass for 5 years in the Orchestra Nazionale dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia and for 15 years he had the same position on the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra; he has collaborated in the same role with numerous other orchestras, such as Teatro alla Scala di Milano, I Solisti Veneti, the London Symphony Orchestra. Founder of the record label NBBrecords, dedicated to the double bass world. Founding member of the bass band quartet The Bass Gang, included in NBBrecords catalogue with the albums Evasioni e Fughe, La Contrabbassata e The Chianti Concert. In 2012 he left the orchestra to devote himself more intensely to the chamber, solo, teaching and composition for his instrument. There are many of his pieces for double bass solo, until the very recent first work for double bass anche orchestra "XUITE-0, modular suite for double bass and orchestra" performed for the first time with the Symphony Orchestra of Porto Alegre, in Brazil.

Si diploma nell'85 presso il Conservatorio F. Morlacchi di Perugia col M° Corrado Penta.
Dopo aver svolto attività solistica ed orchestrale spaziando anche tra il jazz e la musica leggera, dal 1989 fa parte dell'Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia di Roma.
E' inoltre attivo in varie formazioni cameristiche in Italia ed all'estero.
E' l'arrangiatore ed il trascrittore della maggior parte della musica eseguita dal quartetto di contrabbassi The Bass Gang, di cui è membro fondatore. The Bass Gang è presente nel catalogo NBBrecords con gli albums Evasioni e Fughe, La Contrabbassata e The Chianti Concert.

David Heyes studied double bass with Laurence Gray and Bronwen Naish, later at the Royal College of Music in London, and completed his post-graduate studies in Prague with Frantisek Posta (Principal Bass, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra). He has given recitals and masterclasses in 13 countries over the past few years and has been a juror at a number of international competitions, twice as chairman. David has been Specialist Double Bass Tutor at Wells Cathedral School for 20 years, alongside a thriving and busy private teaching studio, and for a year was Contemporary Performer-in-Residence at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He is a founder member of Basso Bravura! (with soprano Sarah Poole), co-founded the Bristol Bass Club and London Basses Workshops and is Artistic Director of Bass-Fest. David's collaborative work gained him a prestigious award from the David Walter Charitable Trust of New York for his pioneering activities as a soloist, teacher, publisher and commissioner of new music for double bass and he works with composers throughout the world to expand the double bass repertoire by commissioning new music and by rediscovering forgotten ones. Since 1990 more than 500 works have been written for him, music from one to twenty basses and from beginner to virtuoso, and he has premiered ten contemporary concertos with orchestra. David has transcribed and performed a wealth of music for double bass and in recent years has composed a number of original works which have been performed both nationally and internationally. Six works inspired by the centenary of the First World War have been particularly successful and his choral and vocal music has been performed with success in Britain, Ireland and America. He composed 'Sahara'  for unaccompanied double bass as the imposed work for the 2015 Galicia Graves Double Bass competition in Spain and returns there as Featured Composer and guest tutor in 2017. Since 2014 David has had music performed in 15 countries (UK, USA, Germany, Czech Republic, Mexico, Turkey, Venezuela, Australia, Ireland, Israel, Malta, Brzail, Denmark, Ecuador and Spain). In November 2016 two of his songs were recorded by Sarah Poole (soprano) and Derek Harris (piano) for Prima Facie Records, who also recorded an entire CD of works by David in January 2017. In 1986 David founded the publishing company Recital Music, which now has the largest catalogue of double bass music in the world, and has written articles and reviews for the leading specialist magazines including The Strad, Bass News, Music Teacher, Double Bassist, ESTA News & Views and Classical Music. David Heyes is a D'Addario Performing Artist and has recently commissioned a solo double bass from British luthier Martin Penning.

She has been teaching at Anadolu University State Conservatory-Double Bass Department since 1992 and she has been a member of Borusan- Istanbul Philarmonic Orchestra since 2004.).
Esra Gül gave recitals and master courses including International Society of Basists Convention 2009 – Pensilvania – USA (duo with Volkan Orhon) ,9th International Double Bass Convention (2009) in Janacek Academy – Brno (with pianist Marcela Jelinkova), Plovdiv Academy of Music,Dans and Performing Arts in Bulgaria (2003), Paderewsky Music Academy in Poznan-Poland (2008), Arts and Connect International Music Courses and Festivale in Urbino-Italy (2008) and many place inTurkey since 1995 and worked as a jury member under chairperson Irena Olkiewicz in Brno – 9th International Double Bass Competition. She graduated from Istanbul-Mimar Sinan Fine Art University.
Esra Gül is founder of Anadolu Bass Club ((2003) – for all – State Conservatory Double Bass Department (1991 – Prof. Turkish basists) and ANADOLU BASS ORCHESTRA (2009) Engin Babahan).
Gül is the first double bass graduated of which its members compose of her graduated students. She Master (1996) and Doctorate Programme (2002) in Turkey (Prof. will attend as a one of presenters of Bass2010 in Berlin, Tahir Sumer).
She attracted positive notices for her performance in workshops by Radion Azarkhin and Gary Karr.

Kiyoe K D Wellington received her Bachelors of Music Degree in Classical Double Bass Performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts.
Since around the turn of the 20th century, the double bass has been increasingly recognized and utilized by contemporary composers for its ability to produce a plethora of non-traditional sounds, and Kiyoe's fondness for their music sprouted from her focus on music for the solo bassist.
Having spent her childhood between Hawaii and Switzerland, Kiyoe's musical practice is influenced by a life spent in awe and appreciation of the natural world.

Vassilis Papavassiliou, a leading greek artist, is a double bass soloist. Very active and innovative, he is highly energetic in classical, contemporary and experimental music.
Vassilis made, early on in his career, a distinct mark for his talent to perform the most «unplayable» works in the double bass repertory. The new repertory and the innovative ideas are central in his artistic interests.
He studied at the Hellenic Conservatory of Athens and had postgraduate studies with T. Martin in Guildhall School of Music (London) and E. Levinson in Juilliard School of Music and Drama (New York). He met and had lessons with most of the eminent bass-players in his time. As a soloist, he has performed with Greek and foreign orchestras, distinguished artists and ensembles.
He is the dedicatee of several new compositions (by G. Adamis, M. Adamis, T. Antoniou, G. Zervos, D. Themelis, D. Kamarotos, L. Liebermann, P. Rozsa, C. Samaras, V. Tenidis etc.).
In 1998, he has done the world-premiere recording of the «Double bass Concerto» by N. Skalkotas for the BIS label, receiving world-wide enthusiastic acclaim.
Every season Vassilis draws from both the classical and the innovative repertory, as well as combining ideas from both, in his concert appearances.
Vassilis Papavassiliou holds the position of the principal bass-player in the Greek National Opera in Athens and teaches in various master classes for double bass around Europe and USA («Ferenç List» Academy, Hungary, Michaelstein, Germany etc).
Lately, he is the editor of a series of Greek works for solo double bass in «Orpheus» editions.