Paul Sharpe, Contrabass

Paul Sharpe maintains an international profile and career in a variety of roles as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral double bassist.  As a student of Jeff Bradetich he received the B.M. degree in Performance from Northwestern University, and he obtained an M.A. degree in Music from the University of Iowa studying with Diana Gannett.

Recent performances and engagements include recitals and masterclasses at the University of Iowa, Cleveland Institute of Music, World Bass Convention (Wroclaw, Poland), University of North Texas, University of Michigan, Interlochen Arts Academy, and Brazil’s Sixth International Double Bass Encounter in Pirenopolis, Brazil.

Performances with orchestra have included Paul Ramsier’s Divertimento Concertante for Solo Double Bass and Orchestra with the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra; the premiere of Stuart Hinds’ Concertino for Double Bass and Orchestra with the Dallas Chamber Orchestra; and a performance with the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival Orchestra (where he is a regular guest artist) of Bottesini’s Grand Duo Concertante with Peter Marsh (USC).  Recently he performed Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet with John Nakamatsu, Paul Coletti, Nathaniel Rosen, and Paul Rosenthal as part of Dallas’ Chamber Music International concert series.

He has received fellowships to the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, and the Pacific Music Festival (Sapporo, Japan) and has been a guest artist at the Pine Mountain Music Festival (Michigan), the Anchorage Festival of Music, the Festival of Two Worlds (Spoleto, Italy), and 20th Century Unlimited (Santa Fe, NM). He has been a prizewinner at several solo competitions, including the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition in 1997, and winner of the Aspen Music Festival’s Double Bass Concerto Competition in 1996.

Readers of Double Bassist will recognize him as a regular reviewer of new publications and editions of music.  He served as Principal Bass of the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra from 1996-2007, and has performed frequently with the Fort Worth Symphony and San Antonio Symphony. As a teacher of double bass he has held faculty positions at the Texas Tech University, the University of North Texas, Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), and the Preucil School of Music (Iowa City, IA).