Double Bass News

26 Feb 2024

Promenade Concerts

The annual Promenade Concerts are always highlights in the School’s musical calendar, and this year was no exception!Throughout the Brass and Percussion Promenade Concert, pupils...

26 Feb 2024

Bach Day

On Tuesday 6th February, we featured J.S. Bach in a day-long celebration of his music installed in the wonderful Gothic spaces of Wells Cathedral. Bach’s...

17 Jan 2024

Wells musicians take to the national ensemble stage

Nine Wells Cathedral School musicians took part in the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) ‘Ascent’ Project in the early days of 2024. NYO is the country’s...

27 Nov 2023

Double bass masterclass with Leon Bosch

Prep School double bassists joined their Senior School counterparts for a masterclass with Leon Bosch on Monday 20th November. Leon was overjoyed to spend quality...

02 Nov 2023

Picture This

The Symphony Orchestra presented four concerts titled Picture This in October. Matinee performances of Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev, narrated brilliantly by Woody Collins...

02 Oct 2023

Lunchtime Concerts return

We have been delighted to restart our Lunchtime Concerts, an important opportunity for our specialist musicians to perform their solo repertoire. Doors open 15 minutes...

19 Jun 2023

Prep Ensembles Concert

At the end of the Whitsun Term, the Prep School held their annual Ensembles Concert in Cedars Hall. It was a wonderful evening celebrating the...

11 May 2023

Concerto Competition finale

The Concerto Competition Finale saw six outstanding performances from Lily Owens (flute, Year 11), James Mayhew (piano), Kamil Kulich (piano), Jeremy Tan (violin), Sean Foong...

09 May 2023

An inspiring and thought-provoking afternoon on careers in Music

Cedars Hall was full of our young musicians on Thursday 27th April to hear presentations on very different musical career paths given by Sophie Lewis,...

09 Jan 2023

Symphony Orchestra Rehearsal

The Symphony Orchestra met in the evening of the first day back at School of 2023 to begin work on the epic Symphony No. 2...

Dr Sarah Upjohn WCS Wells Cathedral Independent School Somerset England

11 Nov 2022

Dr Sarah Upjohn Gives Wellbeing Talk To Musicians

As part of our commitment to the wellbeing of our pupils and of our young musicians, Dr Sarah Upjohn visited the School to give a...

09 Nov 2021

New Director of Music

The Governors and Head Master of Wells Cathedral School are delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Alex Laing as the new Director of Music.The...

21 Jun 2021

Jazz Evening

Last week’s Jazz Evening showcased the talents of jazz players and small group jazz from across the School. Introduced by Coordinator of Jazz Studies Edward...

02 May 2021

Event on the Lawn Online

This year’s Event on the Lawn, our very own popular annual mini music festival, organised and performed by Wells pupils and showcasing many of our...

22 Mar 2021

National Youth Orchestra Inspire Course

Congratulations to Year 11 flautist Emily Moores and to Lower Sixth violinist Rocket Brooks who have recently been selected to join the online National Youth...

Jan Cowell of Our Specialist Music School

16 Mar 2021

Recital Music Composition Competition 2021

Congratulations to two Wells Double Bassists, who submitted new pieces for unaccompanied double bass in this year’s Recital Music Composition Competition, which were then judged...

11 Sep 2019

National Youth Orchestra at the BBC Proms

Many of our musicians performed in a BBC Prom at the Royal Albert Hall in August as members of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO). The...

25 Jan 2019

St Endellion Festival Concert Series

Head of Student Performance, Paul Denegri, took three upper sixth music specialists to give a recital at The St Endellion Festival Concert Series in Cornwall...

05 Oct 2018

Double Bass Weekend & Masterclass

The 2018 Wells Double Bass Weekend was held in Quilter Hall across the weekend of 22nd-23rd September. Directed by David Heyes, with guest tutors, Gabriele...

17 Sep 2018

Summer Basses in Wells

The second Wells String Summer School was a great success attracting young string players from 14 countries. Directed by violinist Catherine Lord and tutored by...

18 May 2018

Taunton Young Musician of the Year

Very many congratulations to Year 12 double bassist, Alexander, who was crowned Taunton Young Musician of the Year 2018 at this year’s prestigious Taunton Festival...

02 May 2018

Basses Eleven!

Basses Eleven! attracted a capacity audience to Quilter Hall on Friday 27th April 2018. Nine Wells bassists were joined by GMA Lucy Keller and specialist...

30 Apr 2018

NYO Basses and Bernstein

17 year old Wells bassist Alex, a member of the NYO since September, has recently performed two performances of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass at London’s Festival...

30 Apr 2018

Basstastic March

March 2018 has been a very busy and productive month for specialist double bass teacher, David Heyes. As a composer he has had music played...

12 Mar 2018

James and the Giant Bass

The day you take possession of your first double bass is one you remember forever. 12 year old James, a Year 7 chorister in the...

02 Mar 2018

Publishing success for young Wells composer

15 year old double bass specialist Jan is now a published composer. His short work Syrinx for unaccompanied double bass was released by Recital Music...

Double Bassists at Wells Cathedral School

22 Feb 2018

A New Generation

The double bass department at Wells has included chamber music as part of the timetable for over 25 years. The skills required to play in...

19 Feb 2018

Strings Cup for Alex

The past few months have been busy and successful for 16 year old Alex, a specialist double bassist at Wells, who is one of ten...

24 Jan 2018

Bass Honours

David Heyes is very pleased to have become a D’Addario Performing Artist, one of only 61 classical double bassists to receive the accolade across the...

24 Jan 2018

Wells Composers in International Debussy Tribute

2018 marks the centenary of the death of the French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and David Heyes recently launched an international project to commemorate the...

13 Nov 2017

Royal College of Music International Double Bass Festival

David Heyes was a special guest at the Royal College of Music’s International Double Bass Festival in London on Sunday 5th November. Described as “an...

Group performing for Somerset Bass Weekend

13 Nov 2017

Somerset Bass Weekend Success

The Somerset Bass Weekend, directed by David Heyes, was held in Templecombe and Wells in October. A series of one-day workshops and five concerts attracted...

13 Nov 2017

No Man’s Land

No Man’s Land was recently released by Prima Facie Records and features a Composer Portrait of David Heyes. Alex, a current Wells bassist, and Old...

16 Oct 2017

Basso Bravura!

The elegant setting of Cedars Drawing Room was the venue for the first double bass concert of this academic year. Five senior double bass students...

09 Oct 2017

North of the Border II

David Heyes was a guest of Big Noise Raploch and the Scottish Bass Trust from 28th September to 1st October, directing workshops for bassists of...

29 Sep 2017

Czech Celebrations and Memories

The double bass department at Wells has given several hundred world and UK premieres over the last 21 years. Directed by David Heyes, a prolific...

18 Sep 2017

Four Basses and a Soprano!

Three bassists from Wells joined David Heyes and his wife, soprano Sarah Poole, for a charity concert in Templecombe in early September. The local church...

15 Sep 2017

Basses Relax

Wells bassists have been busy throughout July and August with a variety of concerts and summer schools. David Heyes, now in his 21st year as...

10 Jul 2017

An Englishman Abroad

David Heyes recently returned from recording a new CD in Oslo for Prima Facie Records. The international project brought together bassists from Britain, Sweden, Norway...

26 Jun 2017

An Interesting Life

The life of a musician is always varied and interesting with rarely two weeks ever the same. On Sunday 18 June David Heyes was the...

02 May 2017

More Bass Notes

David Heyes is now in his 20th year as Specialist Double Bass tutor at Wells, which he combines with a successful solo performing, composing, teaching...

02 May 2017

Somerset Bass Notes

The double bassists at Wells Cathedral School continue to perform for Somerset audiences demonstrating the many great qualities and facets of the double bass. Alexander...

02 May 2017

A Typical Term at Wells

The first three months of 2017 have been action-packed for the double bass department at Wells. Alongside lessons, rehearsals, solo and orchestral performances, the bassists...

03 Mar 2017

Finland Awakes

The plush and elegant surroundings of Cedar’s Drawing Room resounded to the strains of music from Finland on Friday, as David Heyes and five members...

24 Feb 2017

Galicia Graves 2017

David Heyes, Wells specialist double bass tutor, was the featured composer, juror, soloist and teacher at Galicia Graves 2017 from 17th-19th February. Held at the...

28 Dec 2016

The Flying Finn in Frome

Teppo Hauta-aho, a popular guest in Wells on a number of occasions, was in the West Country from 12-16 May for Teppo-Fest 2016, a series...

28 Dec 2016

Cedars Hall is Christened

David Heyes was the guest double bass tutor for South West Music School’s Youth Orchestra course held at the school from 22-26 August 2016. Wells...

28 Dec 2016

Five Beers Later…

BASS2016 (20-25 September) attracted hundreds of double bassists from around the world for a week of concerts, masterclasses, seminars, workshops and so much more. It...

28 Dec 2016

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...

28 Dec 2016

Wells Double Bass Academy 2

The Wells Double Bass Academy was founded earlier this year by David Heyes and the second workshop took place at Wells & Mendip Museum on...

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