- Eugene Levinson
Eugene Levinson is currently the principal double bassist of the
New York Philharmonic and teaches at theJuilliard School. According to Book 1 of the New Method forDouble Bass (Carl Fischer edition), Levinson, who was born inKiev , began to study music at the age of nine. He graduated from theLeningrad Conservatory , later receiving a doctoral degree from this institution. At the age of twenty-nine, he was the youngest member ever to be appointed to the Leningrad Conservatory's faculty. InLeningrad , he also became a member of theLeningrad Philharmonic Orchestra , where he played for almost sixteen years, and was Principal Bass of theLeningrad Chamber Orchestra for thirteen years.Levinson traveled to the
United States in 1977, and began a short tenure as principal Bass of theMinnesota Orchestra soon after his arrival. While living in the States, he served on the faculty of both theSarasota Music Festival and theAspen Music Festival , as well as theIndiana University Summer School . He joined the bass faculty ofJuilliard in 1985, and was appointed Principal Bass of theNew York Philharmonic in May of that year.In 2003, Levinson was given the Special Recognition Award in Orchestral Performance from the
International Society of Bassists for his "extraordinary skills and contribution to the worldwide community of bassists".The School of Agility
The School of Agility is a book by Eugene Levinson (also published by Carl Fischer) which concentrates on improving vital fingering technique for bass players of all levels. His approach focuses on improving rhythm, intonation and fingerboard agility via a variety of fingerings.
The book includes:-Fingerings designed to allow the individual bassist to find those most suitable to their style and level of playing.-Fingerings appropriate to certain playing situations-Fingerings concerned with the shaping of phrases by facilitating smoother transitions.-Techniques to help produce a clean and clear sound.
Many respected publications have offered their opinions on this book;
"Levinson, a legendary figure...Any method by him is certainly worth a second, third and even a fourth look" -The Strad
"A great publication for serious string bass students" -Instrumentalist
"A stellar contribution to the field of bass pedagogy" -American String Teacher
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