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Double Bass Double Bass Audition Winners

#43
TAShepherd said:
San Francisco? I heard Ira Gold won it. What does anyone know for sure?
New York Ballet? has that happenend?
Thanks guys!
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Yes it's true. Ira was one of the co-winners of the San Francisco job the other is, I think, Scott Pingell(sp?). So, we'll find out who get's the gig later.

Ira Gold just won the Detroit Symphony Principal job so I'm sure he won't be hurting financially. The other finalist was Jeff Kail.

Andy Andersen won the Chicago Lyric job earlier this month. The other finalist were Dan Kreckeller(sp?), some crazy guy from Columbus, Brian Smith, and Sam Hager. Masterofbass only made it to the semi-final!?! :bawl:
 
#46
Ira Gold is Texas born, Boston trained (much like yours truly). He has currently been studying at Rice, in his first years at a Masters, or something. I think he is 23, or so.
San Francisco, I believe, was his 3rd audition, and Detroit his 4th. He was runner-up for the Boston Symphony spot last year, which was his 2nd major symphony audition.
He must be doing something right...
 
#49
Johnny L said:
I've already milked this in another thread, and of course it's just one small part of mandatory arsenal of skills, but Ira Gold's spiccato is killer.

Maybe it's Paul Ellison's fault for encouraging him or something.
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His spiccato is pretty solid, if you like the ticky Boston thing.. Or should I say (Detroit/San Francisco) thing now. :D
 
#50
masterofbass said:
His spiccato is pretty solid, if you like the ticky Boston thing.. Or should I say (Detroit/San Francisco) thing now. :D
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To be honest, I haven't heard anyone's spiccato sound as good as Paul Ellison's own. But then, I've only heard a handful of people do it at all and am no expert.

Did the tick come before or after the big-dig downtown? It would have certainly driven me to bounce objects around with all the traffic jams...
 
#51
Ira Gold just had his trial as principal in Detroit and the Symphony has dismissed him as their principal.. I don't know the exact details, but the orchestra said that he was too inexperienced and did not lead the section well enough.

So they will now have to re-audition for the spot.. sucks to be Ira! :rolleyes:

I guess Detroit has got a case of the San Francisco-itus :spit:
 
#58
As far as I know the San Francisco spot is still open. According to the information I have the pay at SF is $97,500 - real estate cost in the bay area being what they are that may not be enough for the level of skill that they're looking for. Just a thought.
 
#59
[that is enough to survive, just won't be buying any expensive housing...

Well that's my point. If the symphony is looking to hire someone really skilled and currently employed at another orchestra that pays well but is situated in a lower cost of living area, they might be in for a long wait.

[How does this compare to other symphonies around the country?

Very good. One of the highest according to the information I have.

1. Met (NYC) $113,500
2. Chicago $100,100
3. Boston $99,580
4. Philadelphia $98,800
5. LA $98,540
6. NY Philharmonic $98,540
7. SF $97,500.

[My old DB teacher is now the principal for L.A. I suspect...they'll need to carry him outta there in a flight case to open that position.

I don't think many would leave a post like that.
 
#60
A rebuttal:
A musician in the capacity to win an audition like principal of San Francisco, or LA, or any other, would likely not choose an orchestra solely for the income. Yes, the cost of living in San Francisco is quite high, as for Boston and New York. If one were to consider it, principal of Dallas, for instance, would be one of the best financial situations of all. I think the base salary for a section position in Dallas is somewhere in the high 70s, which would mean the principal postion could easily be in the upper 90s. In Dallas, this is fine living. One would need easily 130k a year to live in the same luxury. However, why is it that the principal bass of Dallas, Nicolas Tsolainos, made his way to the recent Boston Symphony SECTION audition? He would have recieved about a 30 grand paycut, on top of a lower position in the orchestra. However, he did make the trek, for good reason, and circumstances of this sort are not out of the ordinary. What this shows is that it is about the opportunity to play in a "better" orchestra, not so about a higher paycheck; the instance a musician becomes a businessman, the instance he forgets why he began in the first place.
 

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