Beginners and Intermediate Bass Camp

12th Annual Beginner and Intermediate Bass Camp
June 13-15, 2012

University of North Texas

Beginning and Intermediate players of the double Bass will join the North Texas Bass Camp on Wednesday, June 15 for three days of fun, participation and instruction.  Playing, practicing and performing will abound and students will enjoy the week-ending game of “Double Bass Jeopardy.”   Participants will have the opportunity to work with Mr. Bradetich as well as outstanding teachers Gudrun Raschen – University of North Texas and Jessica Gilliam-Valls – Austin, TX and Jack Unzicker – UT - Arlington.

Gudrun Raschen, a native of Hamburg, Germany, relocated with her family to South Africa in 1986. She completed a Bachelor's degree in Orchestral Studies and a Masters in Chamber Music at the University of Cape Town where she graduated with distinction in cello performance. She won the concerto competition twice, performing with the University of Cape Town Symphony.

Ms. Raschen moved to the United States to continue her studies at the University of North Texas and is currently in the final stage of her Doctorate in Double Bass Performance with the renowned teacher and performer Jeff Bradetich.

She has extensive orchestral and chamber music experience, performing as
principal cellist with the University of Cape Town Symphony Orchestra for
five years and has played in other orchestras including: Western Cape Orchestra, South African National Youth Orchestra, Cape Town Philharmonic, Natal Philharmonic and in the US with the Fort Worth Symphony, Dallas and Texas Chamber Orchestras, Richardson Symphony, East Texas Symphony, Wichita Falls and Arkansas Symphony.

Ms. Raschen has given concerts in South Africa, Namibia, the US and Germany. In 2005 she was invited to perform at the International Chamber Music Festival in South Africa and in 2006-’07 at the Mittenwald International Masterclasses in Germany in 2006-‘08. She has performed in solo and chamber music recitals on Cello and Double Bass as well as in Early Music concerts on violone and baroque cello.

Ms. Raschen currently teaches at the University of North Texas as a teaching assistant and at Texas Women's University as Instructor of Double Bass. She has a private studio and teaches masterclasses and clinics in the Dallas metroplex.

Dr. Jack Unzicker, Visiting Assistant Professor of Double Bass at the University of Texas at Arlington, is an active educator, orchestral and chamber musician, soloist, and conductor. He has performed in Austria, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Germany, Alaska, California, Louisiana, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Dr. Unzicker is currently the principal double bassist of the Plano Symphony Orchestra and has performed as principal of the AIMS Festival Orchestra (Graz, Austria), Caminos del Inka, Orquestra Divertimento (Costa Rica), Metropolitan Classical Ballet, Dallas Chamber, Dallas Wind Symphony, Lubbock Symphony Orchestras, and Caprock Pro Musica. He performs with the Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Dallas Opera, and Santa Fe Pro Musica.

As an educator, Dr. Unzicker has taught on the faculties of Texas Tech University, Tarleton State University, Texas Woman’s University, North Texas Double Bass Camps, Hong Kong Youth Music Camp, and the Jack Unzicker Double Bass Workshop (Juneau, Alaska), and as a guest artist at The University of Oklahoma. He has performed and lectured at the International Society of Bassists, American String Teachers Association, and Texas Music Educators Association Conventions. Dr. Unzicker is featured in articles on playing and teaching the double bass in The Strad and Strings Magazine.

Dr. Unzicker received his Doctorate of Musical Arts, Master of Music Degree, and the Outstanding Graduate Student in Strings Award from the University of North Texas. He received his Bachelor of Music Degree, magna cum laude, and the College of Music Outstanding Graduate Award from Western Washington University. He has studied additionally at the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors and the Henry Mancini Institute. He has performed in master classes with François Rabbath, Paul Ellison, Christian McBride, Bertram Turetzky, Steven Tramontozzi, Matthew Zory, and Mark Burnat.  His teachers include Jeff Bradetich, Paul Sharpe, Anna Doak, Bill Clay, Lynn Seaton, and Chuck Israels.

Jessica Gilliam-Valls: double bassist, cellist, recording artist, producer, educator, wife and mother.  The Austin-native musician exemplifies the ubiquitous artistry of a true music lover, heeding to no one genre, discipline, or stage. Ms. Gilliam-Valls studied at The Oberlin Conservatory and went on for a Masters of Music in Double Bass Performance at the Manhattan School of Music and now a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. She has shared the stage with a dozen orchestras including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera Orchestra, Tosca Tango Orchestra, and Orqestra da Radio e Televisao Cultura in Sao Paulo, Brazil where Ms. Gilliam-Valls was principal bassist. She has appeared regularly with chamber ensembles, tango and bluegrass bands, in studio recording sessions, on film soundtracks, television and radio jingles, and popular festival stages around the world. She is presently a faculty member at The Austin Chamber Music Center, The Girl’s School of Austin, and Huston-Tillotson University. An invited performer at the 2007 and 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention, she is a regular guest artist and clinician at the North Texas Bass Camps, the Austin Chamber Music Workshop  and the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, among others.