Coastal to host international competition for bass players
Open to contestants of all ages, this competition, a first of its kind, is designed to find new up-and-coming solo bass guitar players who are inventing and exploring new techniques that have contributed to making the bass a solo instrument.
Created by internationally renowned bass player and CCU Artist-in-Residence Steve Bailey, the competition will determine four finalists who will perform before a panel of international musicians. Judges/panelists in addition to Bailey include Victor Wooten, John Patitucci, Anthony Jackson and Gregg Bissonette, all accomplished and influential stars of the instrumental music world, and Jonathan Herrera, editor of Bass Player Magazine. The four finalists who are selected from a semi-final pool of 20 contestants will perform in the Oct. 7 concert.
The winner of the competition will receive $10,000 in cash and prizes, plus the opportunity to record with Bailey and Wooten on the next "Bass Extremes" CD release. Cash and prizes will also be awarded to second through fourth place contestants, as well as five honorable mentions. Information on how to audition for the International Contemporary Bass Competition can be found at www.solobasscompetition.com.
Tickets to the finalist competition concert are $15 per person, and will be available as of Aug. 15 at the Wheelwright Auditorium Box Office or by calling 843-349-2502. For more information, contact Sandy Smith, executive director of the competition, at 843-349-4129, or by email at ssmith1@coastal.edu.