Louisiana Bass Festival

April 14 - 15, 2023 // LSU Baton Rouge Campus

The LSU School of Music is pleased to present the 2023 Louisiana Bass Fest, a special event all about contribution, collaboration, inspiration and sharing our passion with all bassists, and creating educational and performance opportunities for young bassists.

Welcome to the 2023 Louisiana Bass Festival! We are incredibly excited to announce several esteemed guest artists and generous sponsorships for this year's festival.

Ju-fang Liu, Stefano Sciascia and Severiano Paoli will be in residence during the bass fest weekend, working alongside LSU faculty Molly Redfield, David Saccardi, and myself. The Friday Zoom Master Class Series guests feature Derek Weller from Interlochen, Denmark’s Michael Stadnicki, and Yi-jung Su, assistant principal at NSO Taiwan.

We are grateful to the Interlochen Arts Academy for sponsoring a total of $30,000 scholarship awards for the age 15-18 division, which is given in addition to any need-based financial aid. Additionally, the Orchestral Competition winner will earn opportunities with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, as well as a $20,000-$25,000 bass instrument on loan for one year from the Guarneri House. The Guarneri House will also generously donate $1000 store credit for the first prize of the Young Artist Solo Competition. We look forward to hosting a raffle for registered participants of the festival, with prizes provided by Pirastro Strings.

The 2023 Louisiana Bass Festival marks 12 years of gathering with the goal of sharing and connecting passionate bassists around the world. We are fortunate to have collaborated with the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Master Players Festival, and composers to commission bass quartets for the Louisiana Bass Festival in the past. We are also proud that our past prizewinners and participants also had great success in competitions such as the Stulberg International String Competition, National YoungArts Foundation, International Society of Bassists Solo Competition, Boston Symphony Concerto Competition, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition.

Masterclasses, bass ensembles, and concert are free and open to the public. To see everything on offer during the festival, open the "Schedule of Events" section further down this page.

We hope you enjoy the festival!

Yung-chiao Wei
Professor of Double Bass
School of Music
Louisiana State University

The schedules are subject to change.
All listed times are in U.S. Central Time.

Friday Zoom Master Class Series

Friday, February 24
8:00 p.m. Yi-jung Su

Friday, March 3
1:30 p.m. Michael Stadnicki

Friday, March 24
8:00 p.m. Derek Weller

Friday, April 14th

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Orchestra Competition
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Dr. David Saccardi Bass Pedagogy Workshop
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Dr. Molly Redfield Jazz Workshop (Everybody brings their basses.)
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Bass Ensemble Rehearsal (Dr. Redfield)
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Ju-fang Liu Orchestra Masterclass
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Severiano Paoli Baroque Masterclass

Saturday, April 15th

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Stefano Sciascia Solo Master Class
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Ju-fang Liu Orchestra Masterclass
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Yung-chiao Wei Effortless Ways Workshop (Everybody brings their basses.)
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Bass Ensemble Rehearsal
5:30 p.m. Concert

Young Artists Solo Competition

(Age 18 and older)

Repertoire

The first or last movement of a major concerto; They may include, but are not limited to: Bottesini, Koussevitzky, Nino Rota, Tubin, Vanhal, Dragonetti, etc.
The first or last movement of a double bass or cello (transcribed for double bass) sonata; They may include, but are not limited to: Schubert Arpeggione, Brahms, Misek, Hindemith, Beethoven, Sperger, etc. Or any virtuosic solo piece.
One movement of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite.

Prizes

1st Prize: 1x PIRASTRO Double bass Perpetual Set Solo, $1000 Store Credit at the Guarneri House, and set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.
2nd Prize: 1x PIRASTRO Double bass Perpetual Set Solo and a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.
3rd Prize: 1x PIRASTRO Double bass Perpetual Set Solo and a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.

Competition entries must be completed through one-take video recordings of the required repertoire and then submitted within the registration form.

Young Bassists Solo Competition

(Age 18 and under)

Repertoire

One movement from the Baroque period or Bach’s Unaccompanied Cello Suite.
The first or last movement of a major concerto; They may include, but are not limited to: Bottesini, Koussevitzky, Nino Rota, Vanhal, Dragonetti, etc. Or one other work from any period.

Prizes

1st Prize: Scholarship award of $15,000 to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy, a set of the PIRASTRO Flexocor Deluxe Set (Orchestra), and a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.
2nd Prize: Scholarship award of $10,000 to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy and a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.
3rd Prizes: Scholarship award of $5,000 to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy and a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.

*These Interlochen scholarship awards are given in addition to any need-based financial aid.

Competition entries must be completed through one-take video recordings of the required repertoire and then submitted within the registration form.

Young Bassists Solo Competition

(Age 14 and under)

Repertoire

One movement from the Baroque period or Bach’s Unaccompanied Cello Suite.
One other work from any period.

Prizes

1st Prize: 1x PIRASTRO Flexocor Deluxe Set Orchestra and a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.
2nd Prize: A set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.
3rd Prize: A set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.

Competition entries must be completed through one-take video recordings of the required repertoire and then submitted within the registration form.

Orchestra Competition

(Age 18 and older)

Repertoire

One movement of unaccompanied Bach cello suite.
Excerpts from the following works:
- Mozart Symphony No. 40, mvt. I: m. 114 – 134
- Beethoven Symphony No. 3, mvt III: beginning bass entrance to m. 166
- Brahms Symphony No. 2, mvt I: m. 118 – 155
- Strauss Ein Heldenleben: m. 77 – 78
- Mahler Symphony No. 1, mvt. III: Solo

Prizes

1st Prize: 1x PIRASTRO Flexocor Deluxe Set (orchestra), $20,000-25,000 bass on loan for one year sponsored by the Guarneri House, a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins, and the opportunity to perform with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and be paid its substitute fee.
*ISO will expect the winner to pay a one-time union fee.
2nd Prize: Amazing bass stand provided by RC Williams and a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins.
3rd Prize: Bass buggie provided by RC Williams and a set of Leatherwood Bass rosins

This competition will be held in person at the LSU School of Music in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Application Information

Applications are due on or before April 1, 2023.

The application fee is $50 for each competition.

To apply for the competition, participants must complete the online registration form and pay the fee. Competition videos must be uploaded to YouTube as unlisted video. A copy of the application fee payment must be sent to pfang1@lsu.edu.

YouTube Video Requirements:

Must be a one-take video with all the repertoire required. No cuts or trims allowed. No video or audio editing allowed. The competition organizing committee retains the right to disqualify competitors who do not meet these criteria.
Video must have as title: LOUISIANA BASS FEST – COMPETITION NAME (Young Artist Solo Competition, Orchestra Competition, etc.)
Video description must have the repertoire detailed as: Composer – title – duration.
The resolution of the video must be at least 720p.
The video must be recorded maximum 3 months prior to the application date.

Submit Application

Cost & Payment Options

Credit Card (International & Domestic)

Pay online using the LSU College of Music & Dramatic Arts box office. Follow the link below and select the ticket option "Competition Participants".

Online Credit Card Payment

Domestic (United States) Check

Please make a check payable to: LSU Foundation (Bass Fest) and mail your check to:

2023 Louisiana Bass Fest
Louisiana State University
102 New Music Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

International Wire Transfer

Please make your payments via the wire transfer instructions below.

Company	Louisiana State University
Address	204 Thomas Boyd, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Tax Identification Number	72-6000848
LSU Contact	Stephanie Laquerre +1 (225) 578-1450 slaquer@lsu.edu
Financial Institution	JPMorgan Chase 451 Florida St. Baton Rouge, LA 70801 +1 (225) 332-4020
ABA ID Number / Wire Transfers	21000021
International SWIFT	CHASUS33
Telegraphic Abbreviation	Chase
Account # to be Credited	7900000051
Type	Checking