Louisiana Bass Festival

Michinori Bunya was born in the North of Japan, commenced his academic journey at the prestigious Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. Focusing on double bass, he availed himself of insights in violoncello under the guidance of Prof. Reine Flachot and honed his conducting skills with Prof. Erwin Born, both of whom significantly influenced his musical development. After his studies in Tokyo, Bunya furthered his academic pursuits under the guidance of Prof. Guenter Klaus in Wuerzburg.

His exceptional musical talent earned him prizes such as the Music College Prize in England, the Valentino Bucchi Competition in Rome, and the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. Beyond his performance achievements, Bunya serves as an editor at Hofmeister Verlag and has contributed his expertise as a jury member at the ARD Music Competition and the Sperger Competition.

After a fruitful five-year study in Germany, Bunya achieved his inaugural professorship in Wuerzburg. Throughout his tenure as a professor in both Wuerzburg and Essen, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the careers of over 120 professional double bass players to date.

Versatile bassist Han-Jui (Henry) Chen has performed in North America, Europe, South Africa, Asia, and his native Taiwan. He enjoys performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral bassist. Henry was appointed to the faculty at Central Conservatory of Music in Fall of 2018. He previously taught double bass at Soochow University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Ball State University during. Henry also taught regularly in many international festivals such as Lan-Yang International Double Bass Summer Camp, Biarritz International Bass Academy, Chicago Bass Festival at Ravinia, and Illinois Summer Youth Music.

In addition to his rich teaching experiences, Henry has also established a successful orchestral career. He was appointed principal bass of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in 2008. He served as principal of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, Muncie Symphony Orchestra, and Advent Chamber Orchestra in Chicago, associated principal bass of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and assistant principal bass of the Sinfonia da Camera in Champaign-Urbana.

Henry earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Master’s degree from DePaul University.

Born in New York City, Donald Palma is a graduate of the Juilliard School. Don studied double bass with Frederick Zimmermann, Robert Brennand, Orin O’Brien, and Homer Mensch. A former member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he has also been Principal Bass of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the American Composers Orchestra.

He is a founding member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, with which he has toured the world and recorded over fifty compact discs for Deutsche Grammophon including a Grammy Award winning CD of Stravinsky works.

Palma has performed with the Juilliard Quartet, the Nash Ensemble, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Da Camera Society of Houston, the Borromeo Quartet, Bridgehampton Chamber Music, Mistral and in recital with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Jean-Pierre Rampal, and Jan DeGaetani. He was music director of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players and is currently music director of the Symphony-by-the-Sea in Marblehead, MA and the NEC Chamber Orchestra.

Don’s extensive recordings include diverse offerings from works written for him by Elliott Carter and Mario Davidovsky to a Wagner Ring Cycle with the Metropolitan Opera to recordings with Wayne Shorter, Kathleen Battle and rock/pop-icons Roger Waters and Sting.

He has given master classes at the Curtis Institute, the Toho School, the Juilliard School, Rice University, the San Francisco Conservatory, Boston University, the Hartt School, Mannes College and the Manhattan School of Music. Don joined the NEC faculty in 1989 and also teaches at the Yale School of Music. His students occupy positions in major orchestras, ensembles and universities all over the globe.

For the past 18 seasons Susan has spent most of her time performing as an extra player with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, including touring with them through the US and Canada. She also spends much time performing with the Boston Pops Orchestra and is on many Boston Symphony and Boston Pops recordings.

Susan recently became the principal double bassist of the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, the first female ever to do so, and has been a featured soloist with them. Susan performed at the International Society of Bassists Convention in 2015 with world- renowned electric bassist Steve Bailey and continues to collaborate with him, is featured on his latest album entitled “Carolina” and can be heard on Victor Wooten & Steve Bailey’s latest Bass Extremes album “S’low Down.”

Since March 2020, Susan has recorded more than 100 pieces written after 2010 and has given premieres of over 55 pieces in streaming recitals including music composed by David Heyes, Símon García, Lloyd Goldstein, Rodrigo Mata, Mary Rae, P. Kellach Waddle, and Martin Wind. Also, since March 2020, Susan has given 12 solo recitals and has teamed up with her father, guitarist/electric bassist Roy Hagen, arranging and performing music - from French art songs to current pop tunes. Susan was invited to perform recitals & give masterclasses at the International Society of Bassists’ 2021, 2022 & 2023.

Ms. Hagen has been a guest of Jason Heath’s Contrabass Conversations multiple times. She recently published the second edition of her book of Warm Ups for double bassists called “BASSics of Bass” that can be purchased on her website. She has a podcast, Bass- Talk with Hagen & Heyes, which has received international acclaim.

Susan is on faculty at Berklee College of Music. She has been a clinician at the Rochester Bass Retreat, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, the International Online Bass Summit, & Oberlin Conservatory, among others. Susan has been a soloist with the Harvard Summer School Orchestra, Boston Conservatory String Ensemble, the Warren (Ohio) Philharmonic, the Waltham (MA) Philharmonic, the Sharon Community Chamber Orchestra and the Northshore Philharmonic Orchestra. In November of 2022, she gave the US premiere of Simón García’s Concerto for Amplified Double Bass & Strings with the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra (MA)in 2022.

This season Susan will perform as a soloist with the Wellesley Symphony and the New Hampshire Philharmonic, join the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra as they tour Japan, as well as run and perform in “Koussevitzky Connections April 2024” event in Boston – check her website for more details.

Nina DeCesare joined the bass section of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in September 2020 after five years in the Oregon Symphony bass section. She has also performed with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the Sun Valley Music Festival, the Knights Orchestra, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and the Oregon Bach Festival. Equally comfortable as an orchestral musician, soloist, and chamber musician, Nina regularly performs with Chatter ABQ, Third Angle New Music, 45th Parallel, Chamber Music by Candlelight, and Classical Up Close. In 2023, Nina presented a headliner recital at the International Society of Bassists Convention at the historic Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Alongside her busy performing schedule, Nina is passionate about teaching and mentorship and in 2022, she was appointed to the faculty at Peabody Conservatory. Nina is also on the faculty of Domaine Forget Academy and the National Orchestral Institute and previously served on the faculty at NYO Canada. She has presented masterclasses at Juilliard, the New World Center, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Pittsburgh Bass Symposium, Michigan State University, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, James Madison University, and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She has been featured as a recitalist and faculty member at the SF Bass Bash, the UNCSA Bass Day, Golden Gate Bass Camp, KC Bass Workshop, the Twin Cities Bass Camp, and the Rabbath Institute Los Angeles.

Nina began playing the bass while studying with renowned pedagogue George Vance, later working closely with Ira Gold and Hal Robinson. In 2011, Nina made her solo debut with the Chesapeake Orchestra in Southern Maryland, performing the Vanhal Concerto. In 2014, Nina completed her Bachelor of Music degree at Rice University, studying with Paul Ellison. During her time at Rice, she spent her summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, Sarasota Music Festival, Moritzburg Festival Academy, Wabass Institute and Domaine Forget International Academy.

Michal Stadnicki is a double bass teacher at The Royal Danish Academy of Music and holds a Master of Arts degree from the Musik-Akademie in Warsaw. His study was conducted under the guidance of Professor Tedeusz Pelczar, and he currently serves as a double bass teacher at the Musik-Akademie in Warsaw. With a diverse career, Michal has performed as a double bassist in orchestras across Poland, Mexico, and Berlin, establishing a notable soloist trajectory. Presently, he holds the position of solo double bassist at the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and has earned international acclaim through various prize wins.

Lawrence Wolfe joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra bass section in 1970, becoming the orchestra's youngest member at that time. During the 1981-82 season, he was named assistant principal bass of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal bass of the Boston Pops Orchestra. A graduate of New England Conservatory, Wolfe studied double bass with William Curtis, Leslie Martin, and Gary Karr. As a Fellow at Tanglewood Music Center, he was awarded the Albert Spaulding Prize for the most promising and outstanding instrumentalist. He is now a faculty member at Boston University, New England Conservatory, and Boston Conservatory. Represented on Titanic Records by his album, “Lawrence Wolfe, Double Bass,” Wolfe has appeared as soloist at Carnegie Recital Hall, NEC's Jordan Hall, Kilbourne Hall in Rochester, and Symphony Hall, where he has been a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops.

Wolfe was a judge and performer alongside his wife, soprano Pamela Wolfe, at the International Double Bass Competition on the Isle of Man in England. At the invitation of the Australian String Teachers Association, Wolfe toured the major cities of Australia, performing in recitals and teaching master classes. At the 1988 convention of the International Institute of the String Bass in Los Angeles, he was a recitalist, judge, and arranger. At Disneyland, he conducted an ensemble of 80 bass players in his own arrangements of Disney tunes. As a composer, Wolfe has numerous popular songs and three musicals to his credit. Ronald Feldman conducted the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra in the premiere of his overture, Freefall, and John Williams conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra in the premiere of his trumpet concerto with Timothy Morrison as soloist. Prophecy and Joy, a celebratory piece for chorus and orchestra to words by Walt Whitman, was commissioned by the Masterworks Chorale for their fiftieth anniversary concert at Symphony Hall.

Ju-Fang Liu was appointed Principal Bass of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra by Maestro Mario Venzago in 2003, shortly after receiving her bachelor and master’s degrees in double bass performance from Indiana University. There she studied with notable bass pedagogues Bruce Bransby and Larry Hurst. In addition, she has worked with other internationally-known teachers such as Edwin Barker, Edger Meyer, Harold Robinson, Stuart Stankey, Lawrence Wolf and Tim Cobb.

Ms. Liu’s musical interests encompass all aspects of musical performance. She was a repeat performer in the world-renowned Marlboro Music Festival working with the top chamber music professionals of our time as well as performing in the Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals. A sensitive and thoughtful performer, she is constantly in demand in Indianapolis’ various chamber music venues.

Ju-Fang has been a finalist for the Boston Symphony as well as for the Atlanta Symphony Principal position in 2014, and has appeared with the Chicago Symphony. In addition, she has performed as co-principal with the New World Symphony. Her solo concerto performances have included the Bottesini, Koussevitzky and Tubin concerti, the latter performed under the baton of Maestro Venzago. She is also the first performer to win both the Solo and Orchestral Categories (Adult/Professional) of the International Society of Bassists competitions.

Ju-Fang has always had a serious interest in teaching and pedagogy and has previously taught at DePauw University and Indiana University. She joined the faculty of the Butler University School of Music in Indianapolis in 2014. Ms. Liu has given master classes in Columbia, working with the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia and has been a guest artist at the Taipei National School of the Arts and the Beijing Central Conservatory and other conservatories in China and Taiwan, performing recitals and giving classes.

For the last three decades, Guennadi Mouzyka, is the one name in Singapore associated with the double bass.

"The Straits Times" critics observed the qualities that set Guennadi apart: " ... If one had to single out the most exceptional players, it would be Guennadi Mouzyka, who set the third movement's funeral march off with the most endearing tone I have ever heard from a double bass..."  "... Double bassist Guennadi Mouzyka, the Principal from SSO, gave his ungainly instrument the sweetest of voices...".

As an orchestra musician he has performed under the baton of Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Evgeny Svetlanov, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Neeme Jarvi, Eliahu Inbal, Charles Dutoit, Edo De Waart, Andrew Litton and Gustavo Dudamel just to name a few.

Guennadi Mouzyka has established himself not only as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra musician, but as a recitalist. His solo repertoire includes works ranging from Baroque to contemporary music. He has premièred in Singapore compositions "Natural" by Tan Chan Boon and "Inner Voice" by Anne LeBaron. He also represented Singapore in World- Wide premiere of "Anna's Promise" by Andres Martin: the 50-minute score for Orchestra, Solo bass, Narrator and background visuals. "Anna's Promise" was premiered in 33 countries by 33 leading Double bass players in Winter 2016/ Spring 2017.

As a chamber musician Guennadi has performed with Yo- Yo Ma Silk Road Ensemble, T'ang Quartet, The Orchestra Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic and collaborated with Shlomo Mintz, Qian Zhou, Alina Ibragimova, Qin Li-Wei, Jeff Bradetich, and Nobuko Imai.

Guennadi Mouzyka was born in Russia and studied Double-Bass in Moscow with well-known teachers: V.Shulepina, M.Fokin, G.Favorsky and E.Kolosov. He started his career as Solo Bassist for the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in 1979. Upon graduation with Honours from Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory in 1982 he worked for renowned Russian orchestras: The USSR Ministry Of Culture State Symphony Orchestra under G.Rozhdestvensky and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. With these orchestras he performed in many countries in Europe, America and Asia and can be heard on recordings of the Russian label "Melodia".

Guennadi is an Artist Faculty in Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. He regularly conducts double bass masterclasses in Europe, Asia and the United States and his past students hold active positions in the profession, performing and teaching throughout the world.