Gary Karr facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gary Karr
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| Born | November 20, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | July 16, 2025 (aged 83) |
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Gary Michael Karr (born November 20, 1941 – died July 16, 2025) was a famous American classical double bass player and teacher. He was born in Los Angeles, California. Many people consider him one of the best double bass players of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Gary Karr's Early Life and Musical Journey
Gary Karr came from a family where many people played the double bass. However, his family did not push him to become a musician. He found his own path into the world of music.
Education and Learning the Double Bass
Gary Karr went to Fairfax High School and the USC. He also studied at the Aspen Music Festival and the Juilliard School. His main teachers were Herman Reinshagen and Stuart Sankey. These schools helped him become a skilled musician.
A Big Break on Television
Gary Karr became widely known in 1962. He performed as a solo artist on a nationally televised New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert. The famous conductor Leonard Bernstein led the orchestra. During this concert, Karr played "The Swan" from The Carnival of the Animals. This piece was written by Camille Saint-Saëns. Karr also recorded this song with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. This TV appearance helped many people discover his amazing talent.
Performing Around the World
After his television debut, Gary Karr played with many major orchestras. He performed as a soloist, meaning he played the main part. Some of these orchestras included the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. He also played with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He traveled the world, sharing his music with audiences everywhere.
New Music Written for Gary Karr
Many composers wrote new pieces of music especially for Gary Karr. This shows how much they admired his playing. He performed these new works for the first time. Some of these composers included Vittorio Giannini, Alec Wilder, and Robert Xavier Rodriguez. He also played concertos, which are pieces for a solo instrument and orchestra, by Gunther Schuller and Hans Werner Henze. He recorded a famous concerto by Serge Koussevitzky with the Oslo Philharmonic.
Gary Karr as a Teacher
Besides performing, Gary Karr was also a dedicated teacher. He taught double bass at many top music schools. These included the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, and Yale University. He also wrote several books to help others learn the double bass. Karr believed that each player should find their own special sound. He taught students to play the double bass with the beautiful, expressive quality of a singer.
Retirement and Later Years
After performing for 40 years, Gary Karr retired in 2001. He moved to Victoria, British Columbia, in Canada. He lived there with his dog, Shin-Ju, and his close friend, musician Harmon Lewis. Harmon Lewis passed away in 2023. Gary Karr himself passed away on July 16, 2025, at the age of 83.
Gary Karr's Lasting Legacy
Gary Karr created important organizations to support double bass players. His work continues to help musicians today.
International Society of Bassists
In 1967, Gary Karr started the International Society of Bassists (ISB). This group helps people learn about, promote, and improve double bass playing. The ISB has over 3,000 members from more than 40 countries. They hold a big meeting every two years to help double bass players connect and learn.
Documentaries About Gary Karr
Gary Karr was featured in two documentaries by the BBC. These films helped share his story and talent with even more people. The documentaries were called The Great Double Bass Race (1978) and Amazing Bass (1984).
The Famous Karr-Koussevitzky Bass
In 2005, Gary Karr gave his most important instrument to the ISB. This special double bass is known as the Karr-Koussevitzky bass. Olga Koussevitzky, whose husband was the famous musician Serge Koussevitzky, gave this bass to Karr in 1961. The ISB plans to let double bass players all over the world use this valuable instrument. This bass was once thought to be made by the famous Amati family. Because of this, it is also sometimes called the Amati bass.
The Karr Double Bass Foundation
Gary Karr also started the non-profit Karr Double Bass Foundation in 1984. This foundation helps young, promising double bass players. It loans them instruments to help them grow as professional musicians. This way, more young people can pursue their dreams in music.
See also
In Spanish: Gary Karr para niños
