| SUBSCRIBE | | Why we charge |
|
|
|
Front Page
venue
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Albuquerque High Senior Finds Voice in Bass
By Emily Van Cleve
For the Journal
Alex Jacobsen experienced one of his worst nightmares after stepping off a plane at the Albuquerque airport in March. His beloved string bass, which he had played during an audition for acceptance into Boston University's School of Music, had been damaged during the trip and was unplayable. The neck of the instrument was separated from the body. Fortunately, an instrument repair business in town was able to fix the bass within four days.
A few days later, Jacobsen and his bass hopped on a plane bound for Philadelphia for an audition at the Curtis Institute of Music. Returning home safely, the duo's next mission was to compete in the Santa Fe Pro Musica Young Artists Scholarship Competition. Jacobsen won the organization's grand prize of $1,500 and a chance to play a solo piece in Santa Fe Pro Musica's Young Artists Recital, which takes place Saturday at St. John's United Methodist Church in Santa Fe.
“I'm playing the first movement of Bottesini's Concerto No. 2 with my piano teacher, Stephen Montoya,” said Jacobsen, who is a senior at Albuquerque High School. “It's one of the two pieces I played for my conservatory auditions.”
Jacobsen, who also is the winner of the 2006 Outstanding High School Musician in the Albuquerque Jazz Festival and the 2007-2008 Albuquerque Youth Symphony Concerto Competition, has been playing the string bass for less than four years. He's played the piano since first grade and took up the cello in fifth grade. During a summer session at Hummingbird Music Camp in Jemez Springs five years ago, he tried playing the string bass just for fun.
“Some of the technique is the same between the cello and the bass,” he said. “But when I started taking bass lessons, I had to start with easier pieces.”
University of New Mexico music professor Mark Tatum accepted Jacobsen into his teaching studio during the high school student's freshman year.
“Alex found his voice with the string bass,” Tatum said. “It's something I can hear in his playing. He took off on the instrument right from the start.”
When it came time to apply to college, Tatum and Jacobsen talked about which conservatories were the best. “It's said that Juilliard and Oberlin are at one level, and a few notches above that is Curtis,” Jacobsen said. “Curtis was my first choice. It's the place to be.”
Jacobsen was accepted at all seven conservatories to which he applied and looks forward to his first year at Curtis in the fall.
In addition to Jacobsen's piece, Saturday's concert features Lalo's Concerto for Cello in D minor performed by La Cueva High School junior Quinn Boyack, who won first prize in the competition's string category. Boyack is a member of the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Orchestra and studies with New Mexico Symphony Orchestra cellist Lisa Collins.
Chamber works are also presented by seven trios and quartets comprised of preteen and teen musicians who are part of Santa Fe Pro Musica's CHAMPS! program, an apprenticeship program that matches student musicians with professional mentors.
WHEN: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10
WHERE: St. John's United Methodist Church, 1200 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
HOW MUCH: $5 donation is suggested
...go to bookmarks
E-mail Story
Print Friendly
