John Alexander was born in West Sussex in 1942 and began to compose at the age of 20. At the time he discovered a fascination for art, literature, dance, architecture and sculpture and these topics, along with mathematics, have continued to have a bearing on his work. He studied composition with Edmund Rubbra at the…
Giovanni Bottesini was an Italian Romantic composer, conductor, and a double bass virtuoso born on December 22, 1821, in Crema, Lombardy1. He is often referred to as “the Paganini of the double bass” due to his extraordinary skill with the instrument. Bottesini’s early musical education was provided by his father, an accomplished clarinetist and composer.…
Katrien Bos was born in the Netherlands in 1978. After many happy years studying the violin, the 16 year-old Katrien found her great love – the double bass. She studied classical double bass at the Rotterdam Conservatoire with Hans Krul and Peter Leerdam, and became passionate about the Argentinian tango. She also followed courses in…
Adam Booker is the current Associate Professor of Double Bass at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, USA. He was awarded a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Double Bass Performance from the University of Texas, Austin and also holds a MM in Composition and a BM in Jazz Studies from Texas State University,…
Alexander Borodin was a Russian composer and chemist of Georgian – Russian extraction, born on November 12, 1833, in Saint Petersburg1. He is best known for his symphonies, his two string quartets, the symphonic poem “In the Steppes of Central Asia,” and his opera “Prince Igor”. Borodin was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known…
Béla Bartók was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist born on March 25, 1881, in Nagyszentmiklós, Hungary1. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is known for his significant contributions to music, particularly in the areas of folk music and composition. Bartók’s early life was marked by his…
David Blackwell is an award-winning composer, arranger, writer, and editor in the field of music education. Born in 1961, he grew up in Oxford and graduated First Class from Edinburgh University in 19831. David has worked extensively in music publishing, holding positions such as Editorial Director at ABRSM Publishing and Head of Music Publishing at…
Max Bruch was a distinguished German composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor, born on January 6, 1838, in Cologne, Prussia, and he passed away on October 2, 1920, in Berlin-Friedenau, Germany. He is particularly remembered for his contributions to the Romantic era of music and is best known for his violin concertos, especially his Violin Concerto…
Rachel Broadbent is a professional, freelance oboist, oboe d’amore, and cor anglais player, as well as an educator and arranger/composer of oboe educational music and double reed ensemble music. She has a varied musical career that includes performing, teaching, music arranging, and running Chase Oboe Reeds. Rachel studied at Birmingham Conservatoire with Jonathan Kelly and…
Ralph Vaughan Williams was an esteemed English composer whose works spanned various genres including operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces, and orchestral compositions. He was born on October 12, 1872, in the Cotswold village of Down Ampney, where his father was vicar, and he passed away on August 26, 1958. Vaughan Williams’…
