January 8, 2004

UC San Diego Music Department Celebrates
Legendary Double Bassist Bertram Turetzky

By Patricia Quill

Described as an American virtuoso Bertram Turetzky has been at the forefront of contemporary music for more than three decades. University of California, San Diego, Department of Music will celebrate this long-time faculty member with a concert on Friday, Jan. 23, 2004 at 8:00 p.m. in the Mandeville Recital Hall on the UCSD campus.

Holding the unparalleled distinction of having the largest classical repertoire written for him, Turetzky is the most frequently recorded contrabass soloist in the country. A consummate performer and prolific recording artist, composer, arranger and teacher, Turetzky astounds audiences with his significant range and remarkable skill.

“Professor Turetzky has had an unprecedented impact on our department and on the musical life of the local community, the nation and the world,” says UCSD Music Department chair Rand Steiger. “Among his many accomplishments, The Contemporary Contrabass is a book that has served, and will go on serving composers and performers for years to come as a primary source, just as his recordings provide us with inspiration. The many thousands of students who have enjoyed his lectures over the years were fortunate to have encountered a masterful teacher and musician who will go down in history as one of the most important to have played the bass. He is irreplaceable, and will be missed."

Turetzky, who retired from UCSD in June of 2003, is not a typical bassist, his master classes have been referred to as "life-altering." "My whole life has been a mission to change the image of this noble but misunderstood instrument," says Turetzky. His career has been so influential that one musicologist divides the history of the double bass into two periods - BT, Before Turetzky, and AT, After Turetzky.

Turetzky does not expect to slow down in his retirement. He has three recordings soon to be released, will continue in his 7th year as faculty at the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles and intends to continue making music for many years to come.

A prolific recording artist, Turetzky has recorded for Nonesuch Records, Finnador, Son Nova, Desto, Music and Art, Incus, 9 winds, Advance, Vanguard, New World and others labels. He is also an acclaimed scholar/researcher in the fields of Jazz History, 18th Century Chamber Music and the author of many reviews and articles.

Turetzky joined the UCSD faculty in 1968. He holds a M.A. in Music History from the University of Hartford.

For more information about the Bertram Turetzky concert or to purchase tickets contact the UCSD Department of Music at (858)822-4678.
For more information about UCSD's Department of Music, go to www.ucsd.edu/music.

Media Contact: Patricia Quill, (858)822-0661 or Megan Wolf, (858)534-4830