North of the Border

David Heyes was a guest of the Scottish Bass Trust and directed workshops in Edinburgh and Glasgow on 30 and 31 October 2016. Bassists of all ages and abilities and from many parts of Scotland came together for two action-packed days of bass playing, which featured technique sessions, massed bass orchestra, masterclass and informal concerts. The workshops were also funded by Wells Cathedral School and Recital Music (www.recitalmusic.net) as part of their respective outreach projects. George Watson’s College in Edinburgh was the venue for the Saturday workshop. The dscn3398age range was wide and everyone played with great energy and enthusiasm. The final concert featured some of the ensemble studied during the day including three works by David Heyes, alongside music from the 15th-century to the present day. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow hosted the workshop on Sunday 30 October which also attracted a number of young bassists and teachers from ‘Big Noise – Sistema Scotland’ (http://makeabignoise.org.uk/). David was able to create links connections with bassists from across Scotland with the aim of working together in 2017 with possible opportunities for Wells bassists also. May Halyburton and Adrian Bornet from the Scottish Bass Trust, professional double bassists and teachers in Scotland, were also tutors at both workshops and the three together helped to create two lively and high-achieving workshops which were described as ‘fabulous’ and ‘inspirational’. David is hoping to develop the Scottish links for 2017 and more details to follow. David Heyes has commissioned more than 500 works for double bass over the past 30 years, from one bass to twenty and from beginner to virtuoso, but has only composed seriously in recent years, with performances in 9 countries to date. October 2016 was his most successful month as a composer with 35 works performed in five countries (UK, USA, Mexico, Australia, Turkey) – two were world premieres and nine were territory premieres.