1. Gary Karr's breakthrough came in 1962, when he was featured as a soloist in a nationally televised New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.
11 Facts About Gary Karr
1. 2.
On that famous telecast, Gary Karr performed "The Swan" from The Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens.
3.
Gary Karr recorded the piece with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic.
4.
Gary Karr has since appeared as a soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Simon Bolivar Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and with all the major orchestras of Australia.
5.
Gary Karr has premiered new works written for him by Vittorio Giannini, Alec Wilder, Robert Xavier Rodriguez, and the concertos for double bass and orchestra by Gunther Schuller, Hans Werner Henze, John Downey and Ketil Hvoslef.
6.
Gary Karr has recorded the Serge Koussevitzky concerto with Oslo Philharmonic.
7.
Gary Karr has taught double bass on the faculties of the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, The Hartt School, Yale University, Indiana University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Halifax Schools Music Program and has published a number of instructional books for the double bass.
8.
Gary Karr focuses on finding one's unique sound on the double bass and approaching playing with the lyrical emphasis of a singer.
9.
In 1967 Gary Karr founded the International Society of Bassists, an organization devoted to the study, promotion, and advancement of double bass playing around the world.
10.
Gary Karr was featured in two BBC documentaries; The Great Double Bass Race in 1978, and Amazing Bass in 1984.
11.
In 2005, Gary Karr donated his primary instrument, the Gary Karr-Koussevitzky bass, to the ISB.