Paul Erhard CU Double Bass Professor

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Dr. Paul Erhard, classical double bass professor

ABOUT PAUL ERHARD

Paul Erhard has taught Classical Double Bass at the University of Colorado College of Music since 1986. In addition to his classical double bass teaching activities, he teaches Jazz Bass Class, Orchestra Audition Class, Improvisation for Strings, and coaches chamber music. Prior to coming to CU, he was the double bass instructor in the music department of the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. A native of New York, Dr. Erhard earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music as a student of James VanDemark, and his Masters and Doctoral performance degrees from the Juilliard School in New York City as a student of Homer Mensch.

Paul Erhard spent two years in Germany as a student of Franz Ortner and Georg Hoertnagel at the Munich Hochschule for Music. He also studied for one year with Larry Hutchinson of the Detroit Symphony, with Stuart Sankey at the Aspen Music Festival, and with Gary Karr at Karr's Hartt Summer Course. An important part of Paul Erhard's musical training were his years studying conducting with Charles Bruck. both at the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Maine, and privately.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Paul Erhard’s teaching philosophy is based on his belief that every student has been drawn to music because of the valuable way in which music enriches ones life. One of Paul’s main objectives in lessons is to help students become aware of what they are doing, both in terms of what kind of sounds they are creating as well as how their body feels while playing the bass. To improve, students need to be able to identify positive aspects of their playing as well as the aspects that need correction. When students understand the how and why, they can go about making the necessary changes. Paul’s aim is to help his students become their own best teachers so that they are able to progress quickly and achieve the musicals goals they aspire to reach.

MAIN INFLUENCES

Paul's approach to playing and teaching the double bass is a blend of many international influences. He has been fortunate to study with some of the finest double bass teachers and performers in USA and Germany. As a professional, he has gotten to know many of the top bass players in the USA through the Rocky Mountain String Bass Festival which he directs, his participation as a presenter at International Society of Bassists Conventions, and his recitals at leading music schools in the country. Paul has also traveled numerous times through much of Europe to perform concerts and teach. During these trips, he has been able to develop close associations with and research the playing and teaching styles of many of Europe's leading double bass teachers and performers: Ovidiu Badila (Romania, Italy), Gottfried Engels (Germany), Miloslav Gajdos (Czech Republic), Wolfgang Guettler (Romania, Germany), Miloslav Jelinek (Czech Republic), Francesco Petracchi (Italy), Karoly Saru (Hungary), Radoslav Sasina (Slovakia), and Klaus Trumpf (Germany).

SOLOIST HIGHLIGHTS

Dr. Erhard performs solo recitals and teaches masterclasses in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. In addition to performing traditional double bass solo literature, Erhard supports contemporary compositions, and has premiered many new works for solo double bass, particularly those of composer Luis Jorge Gonzalez. Dr. Erhard has performed as soloist with orchestras in Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, New York, South Dakota, and Texas. In 1984, he won the Juilliard Double Bass Concerto Competition and performed the Mortari Double Bass Concerto at Lincoln Center, NYC, with conductor Isaiah Jackson. Dr. Erhard is active performing chamber music, and has performed with the world-famous Takacs String Quartet. In April-May of 2004, he toured Western USA performing six concerts with the Celtic music Christopher Norman Ensemble. Erhard enjoys composing music for the double bass, drawing upon a variety of musical styles: Western Classical, Jazz, and Indian music. Performing Indian music as a member of the Indian Music Trio Atmic Vision, Paul Erhard continues expanding double bass technique in order to successfully imitate on bass the subtle and enchanting nuances of Indian vocal, flute, sitar, and veena music. By incorporating his newly developed Indian double bass techniques into the performance of Western music, Paul has found tremendous benefit to his Western Classical double bass solo playing and teaching.

IN THE ORCHESTRA

Paul Erhard has enjoyed many years of professional orchestral experience, and is currently principal bass of the Boulder Bach Festival. He was co-principal double bass of the Sinfonia of Colorado, Denver Chamber Orchestra, the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, and has played often with the Colorado Symphony. Before coming to the University of Colorado in 1986, Dr. Erhard lived in New York City and was principal double bass of the Soviet Émigré Orchestra, the Albany Symphony, and the Queens Philharmonic. Prior to this, he was assistant principal double bass of the Kalamazoo Symphony, Michigan. He has spent summers in the Aspen, Breckenridge, Colorado (Boulder), Grand Tetons Music Festivals, the Yale Music Seminar, and several summers at the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors in Maine.

INTERNATIONAL SOLO DOUBLE BASS COMPETITION JUDGE

Since 1989, Paul Erhard has been a judge for numerous international double bass solo competitions in Brazil, Czech Republic, Germany, and Hungary. serving on juries alongside many of Europe's leading double bass performers and teachers. He served as a juror for the 1st (2000), 2nd (2002), and 4th (2006) Johann Matthias Sperger Competition held in Germany.

JAZZ

Dr. Erhard has a rich background playing jazz. In high school, Paul played for two years in the Larry King Trio, performing frequently in New York State and Connecticut. He spent two years in Munich, Germany as a member of the EMPS Jazz Trio. While a student at the Eastman School of Music, he was the bassist in Raymond Wright's Eastman Jazz Ensemble 1, and in Bill Dobbins' Eastman Jazz Ensemble 2. In Kalamazoo, he was a member of the Ken Morgan Jazz unit. At CU, he was a founding member of the CU College of Music Faculty Jazz Quintet. He now performs with the John Gunther / Paul Erhard Saxphone and Bass Duo, with CU professor of jazz studies John Gunther.

MUSIC OF INDIA and ATMIC VISION

Paul is a leader among double bass soloists in exploring the use of the double bass in Indian Classical music. Inspired by the beauty and expressive quality of Indian music, Paul has pioneered adapting the voice of the double bass to this music as a means of expanding the solo performance opportunities for the instrument. Paul combines the rich singing tone of the bowed bass and the rhythmic energy of plucked jazz bass to create a new sound in Indian music. Paul has performed Indian music as a soloist on concerts in the USA, India, and the Phillipines. His March 2004 concert in India has been broadcast a number of times on digital satellite radio throughout Asia and Europe. He has made numerous research trips to India, including a Senior Fellowship from the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS). Paul has studied with leading Indian musicians Prabir Bhattacharya, sitar, Roshan Bhartiya, sitar, and V. Krishnamurty, veena & vocal.

The positive audience response to his early Indian music performances led him to form the double bass-flute-tabla trio Atmic Vision, with Annada Prasanna Pattanaik (flute) and Muthu Kumar (tabla) from Bangalore, India. Atmic Vision's inaugural 2005 USA tour culminated with the recording of their first CD, Expanding Horizons, released in August 2006. Atmic Vision toured USA for eight weeks 2007, with 16 concerts, over 30 Indian music workshops in schools, a two-week residency in the CU College of Music, two TV broadcasts in New York, and the group's New York City debut at Symphony Space. Atmic Vision's October 2008 Tour of Colorado, Illinois, Wisconsin, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and in Paris resulted in 24 Indian music workshops (reaching over 3000 students) and 16 concerts.

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Atmic Vision's CD Expanding Horizons is available

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DIRECTOR OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN STRING BASS FESTIVALS

In his capacity as director of the annual Rocky Mountain String Bass Festival which he founded in 1994, Paul Erhard has been able to bring to Colorado many of the world's leading double bass performers and teachers. The 9th Rocky Mountain String Bass Festival was held in the College of Music in October 2006. Paul has also directed two Rocky Mountain International Double Bass Solo Competitions. Guest Clinicians and judges have included John Arnesen, Robert Black, Susan Cahill, James Carroll, John Clayton, Paul Ellison, Miloslav Gajdos (Czech Republic), Murray Grodner, Ken Harper, John Hood, David Murray, Karoly Saru (Hungary) Radoslav Sasina (Slovakia) , Bert Turetzky, James VanDemark, and James Vaughn.

9th Rocky Mountain String Bass Festival

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