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Jeffrey Weisner Double Bassist
Oracle Arizona – This exciting first Signature Series Concert of the 2016-2017 season will feature National Symphony Orchestra member Jeffrey Weisner performing new and classic works for double bass. Oracle Piano Society Artistic Director, Stephen Cook will join Mr. Weisner on the piano for a performance of Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata.
The concert will also feature Alexandra Gardner playing Mint Conditioner, Hans Werner Henze performing Serenade for sola bass as arranged by Lucas Drew, David Kirkland Garner’s rendition of When the Old Man Smokes, and Franz Schubert’s Sonata in A minor for Arpeggione and piano arrangement by Stuart Sankey, performed by Stephen Cook on Piano.
A native of Los Angeles, Jeffrey Weisner leads a diverse musical life as orchestral performer, soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He has a special dedication to education and to the creation of new music for his instrument. Having attended Boston University, where he studied with Lawrence Wolfe and Ed Barker, he later studied under Harold Robinson at the Peabody Conservatory, where he received his masters’ degree. He has been a member of the New World Symphony and the Delaware Symphony. He performs on two instruments: a bass made by Xavier Jacquet in Mirecourt, France in the late 19th century; and the “Ex-Thompson,” a bass of unknown origin possibly from the Iberian Peninsula) which may date from the early 18th century.
Mr. Weisner has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, D.C. since 1995, and also performed with the San Francisco Symphony for its entire 2003-2004 season. From 1995-2007 he was the bassist of the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra. He is a member of the Phillips Camerata. In 2005, he joined the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, where he teaches orchestral performance and maintains a private teaching studio. Mr. Weisner has presented master classes at the Colburn School, the University of Southern California, the Interlochen Arts Academy, the Idyllwild Arts Academy, and other music schools around the country. At Peabody, he created “Peabody Writes for Bass,” a program that brings together young composers and bassists for the creation of new music for multiple basses.
He has appeared in recital at the Peabody Conservatory, the Levine School of Music, and at Merkin Hall in New York City, where he presented the New York premiere of Caelum Dedecoratum. In 2002 he premiered a new double bass concerto by Tom Schnauber, Alba and Ostinato, with the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra. He presented the world premiere of both the Hersch and the version of the Schnauber for bass and piano, at the 2007 International Society of Bassists Convention, held that year in Oklahoma City. Other recent recitals included performances of Tom Johnson’s “Squares,” Franzicek Hertl’s Sonata, and David Anderson’s “Four Pieces for Solo Double Bass.” Other concerto performances include the Bottesini Double Bass Concerto #2 in B minor with the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra and the Larsson Concertino with the Crossroads Chamber Orchestra.
Mr. Weisner recently released his first solo album, Neomonology, on innova Recordings, the record label of the American Composers Forum. It features new works for solo bass by composers Armando Bayolo, David Smooke, and Michael Hersch, all of which were written for him.
As a chamber musician, Weisner has performed in a variety of venues, including many performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. with his orchestral colleagues. He has also performed chamber concerts in communities across the United States through the NSO’s American Residencies program. In 2010, he performed three concerts at the Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival in Easton, Maryland. He presented a chamber recital on the Sylvia Adalman Concert Series at Peabody in 2008, featuring, among other works, the Piano Quintet of Kevin Puts with the composer at the piano. He has also appeared with the Peabody Trio in a performance of Brett Dean’s “Voices of Angels” for piano quintet.
This event, which promises to be rife with soul-stirring performances, will begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4, at the Oracle Center for the Arts, located at 700 E. Kingston St. in Oracle. Tickets may be purchased in advance from the Oracle Piano Society at the price of $30, or, at the door for $35. For those with a Season Ticket package, this concert is included. Students with ID will be able to attend for free.
The Oracle Piano Society is a tax exempt 501(c) Non-profit, dedicated to presenting musical programs of exceptional quality in the Oracle community in order to cultivate an appreciation of and enthusiasm for music, arts and education. To learn more or to purchase tickets or season passes online, visit their website at www.oraclepianosociety.org/.
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