Meet our Double Bass Fest Clinicians
Cory Biggerstaff attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln where he received a degree in Music Education. After teaching in the Lincoln Public Schools for a year, he moved to Chicago to attend DePaul University where he received a Masters Degree in Jazz Performance in 2004. Since then, he has taught privately at the Laughlin School and is the bass instructor at Harold Washington and Harper Colleges. He performs a wide variety of musical styles and is a freelance musician on both acoustic and electric bass around the Chicago area. Some of the ensembles that he works with are the Stitely Orchestra, DePaul Alumni Big Band, Skyliners Big Band, various musical theater companies, and throughout Chicago’s jazz clubs.
Originally from Brazil, Dr. Renata Soares Cáceres has worked, performed, and studied in the US since 2013. Having started as an electric bassist at the age of 11, Renata is familiar with many different settings of music ensembles, in both classical and popular styles. She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, where she studied double bass with the renowned virtuoso double bassist Marcos Machado and jazz with Larry Panella; an Artist Diploma Certificate from Texas Christian University, with Yuan Xiong Lu; and a DMA degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she studied with Michael Cameron. With extensive experience in teaching double bass for all ages in the American school system, Renata has developed a passion for teaching. She has worked at the El Sistema USA program B Sharp Youth Music, in Fort Worth, TX, and at the Illinois String Academy at UIUC, in Illinois. She is regularly involved with festivals in the United States, like ISYM, International Society of Bassists’ Young Bassists Program, Chicago Bass Festival, and teaches masterclasses in Brazil periodically. She has participated as a clinician at the American String Teachers Association (2021, 2022), the Illinois Music Educators Conference (2021, 2022), the International Society of Bassists’ Convention (2021), the Chicago Bass Festival (2022), and the Paul Rolland Pedagogy Workshop (2022), among others. Besides being the Adjunct Instructor of Double Bass at Illinois Wesleyan University, Renata has a private studio in the Urbana-Champaign area.
Daniel Carson is a current member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after previously holding the position of principal bass at the Alabama Symphony Orchestra from 2013-16, and having performed with numerous other American orchestras, including those in Atlanta, St. Louis, Minnesota and Kansas City.
Carson was a fellow at the New World Symphony, under the direction of co-founder and Artistic Director Laureate Michael Tilson-Thomas and has also been a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Music Academy of the West, and the Tanglewood Music Center. Originally from Glenview, Illinois, Carson studied double bass with Andrew Anderson, a member of Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park orchestras. He was a member of the youth music program Midwest Young Artists Conservatory throughout high school.
Carson earned a Bachelor’s degree in performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Lawrence Hurst and Bruce Bransby. Later he earned a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California, studying with David Allen Moore of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Mary Halm is a Chicago-based bassist, composer, and educator. She has worked in high schools as a bass instructor and maintained a private studio since 2021, and is a combo coach/teaching assistant at Birch Creek Fine Arts Camp Jazz Session II. She performs regularly in jazz, musical theatre, folk, and other styles and has led bands as a part of Hyde Park Jazz Festival and Hey Nonny Women’s Jazz Festival. Her graduate studies focused on jazz bass pedagogy, performance, and women’s music, which have informed her holistic and inclusive teaching style and performance choices. Ms. Halm holds a Bachelor of Music (2019) and a Master of Music (2021) in Jazz Studies, Performance from DePaul University.
Alexander Hanna was appointed Principal Bass of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Riccardo Muti in the spring of 2012. Prior to his Chicago appointment, he served as Principal Bass of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for four years.
A 2008 graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music, Hanna has performed as soloist, chamber musician, teacher, lecturer and orchestral musician around the world.
His passion for chamber music has led to collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Mitsuko Uchida and Jeremy Denk among many others. He has performed at several of the world’s finest music festivals including the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and the Bellingham Festival of Music, where he was featured as a concerto soloist in the summer of 2015. Additionally, Hanna has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra. Also an accomplished soloist, Hanna made his CSO solo debut in Vanhal’s Double Bass Concerto under conductor James Conlon in 2015.
In addition to classical music, Hanna is devoted to new music and makes frequent appearances on the CSO’s MusicNOW series. He has also performed with New Music Detroit.
A dedicated teacher, Hanna serves on the faculty of DePaul University and coaches the bass section of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He has taught master classes at many of the world’s finest universities and conservatories, several international conventions and symposia.
Hanna’s primary teachers have included Hal Robinson, Edgar Meyer, Scott Haigh, Kay Moore and Virginia Marks.
Dr. Benjamin received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music under the instruction of Professor Albert Laszlo, and his doctorate at the University of Colorado at Boulder under Dr. Paul Erhard. He received additional instruction with various faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School.
As a performer he plays with several orchestras and chamber groups across the United States. He served as principal bass of the San Juan Symphony in Durango Co, principal bass with the Colorado Bach Ensemble, assistant 3rd chair with the Greeley Symphony, section member of the Boulder Philharmonic, is currently assistant principal of the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra, a guest musician with the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina.
Dr. Benjamin resides in Illinois and is the Instructional Assistant Professor of Bass at the Illinois State University where he teaches private and studio classes, and various other courses. He also co-teaches with his other fellow string faculty in String Project, a nationally recognized organization that offers string education to children in the community. In the summers he teaches at the Lamont Academy at Denver University, and the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory in Steamboat Springs.
David Murray, Professor of Bass at Butler University, has an international reputation as a solo bassist and teacher. He started bass in the Halifax school system with Ninette Babineau and Adam Mueller. His principal teacher was Gary Karr, with whom he studied in high school and at the Hartt School in Hartford, CT, graduating in 1980. He is principal bassist of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Bear Valley Music Festival (California) and Sinfonia da Camera (Illinois). He won the 1980 Aspen Concerto Competition and the 1988 International Society of Bassists (ISB) Solo Competition, the first prize being a solo debut at Carnegie Hall. He is a past president of the ISB, and is currently historian on the board of directors after many years as secretary. David has performed as soloist and given clinics and masterclasses throughout the United States, Canada, South Korea, Brazil, Israel, and throughout Europe. He has recorded 3 solo CDs and a DVD. In June 2017 he was the recipient of the ISB Special Recognition Award for Solo Performance. In June 2018 he became Director of the School of Music at Butler University.
Kristoffer Saebo leads a varied musical life as a chamber musician, recording artist, producer, and composer. He is a founding member of Decoda, the Affiliate Ensemble of Carnegie Hall, and the Co-Director of Decoda Chamber Music Festival. In this capacity, he has spent the last ten summers performing, coaching young artists, and engaging with the surrounding communities of the festival.
Kris tours and performs regularly with NOVUS NY, A Far Cry, and the Mark Morris Dance group. He has collaborated with many notable chamber ensembles including the Attacca, Dover, and Parker Quartets, as well as members of the St. Lawrence and Spektral Quartets. Kris loves playing music of diverse genres and has worked with artists such as Sir Simon Rattle, Dawn Upshaw, Jamey Haddad, Trey Anastasio, and Nas.
As a recording artist, Kris can be heard on several films and TV soundtracks including Little Women, Venom, and Succession. Other recordings include John Zorn’s Fragmentations, Prayers And Interjections and Tyondai Braxton’s Central Market.
As a producer, Kris has recorded, edited, and mixed classical chamber music and solo albums. His first three albums as producer will be released in 2023-4, with more to come. He has also composed music for two documentaries and is working on his third.
Kris received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where his teachers were Orin O’Brien, David Grossman, and Homer Mensch. He also held the prestigious Ensemble Connect fellowship as a member of its inaugural class. In his free time, Kris enjoys cooking, woodworking, and spending time with his family.
A native of Toronto, Canada, Alan Steiner received his Performance degree from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He has performed extensively with ensembles throughout North America and Europe.
Alan is a highly respected teacher, coach and clinician. He is a favorite clinician at the annual Chicago Bass Festival and a highly regarded former faculty member at the Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Wisconsin, where his students regularly won awards. As a judge of student contests he is known for his helpfulness and encouragement. Many school districts use Alan's talents as a sectional and chamber group coach.
A familiar face in the bass section of many orchestras in the Chicago area, he is former assistant principal bass of The Lake Forest Symphony, Principal Bass of the Park Ridge Civic Orchestra and a charter member of The Chicago Sinfonietta, among others.
Internationally, Alan is a former member of The Jerusalem Symphony (Israel), L'Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec, Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. In the Chicago area, he has performed with many of the leading classical ensembles such as The Elgin Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Lyric Opera and Chicago Opera Theater.
Donovan Stokes has presented solo performances throughout the U.S., and in Mexico, Norway, Italy, England, France and the Czech Republic. His solo recording Gadaha garnered two JPF Music Award rankings for Best Album and Best Instrumental Song. Described as a musician who “paints primary colours and subtle shades to considerable effect” (The Double Bassist), Stokes is also noted for his “eye-popping display of technical wizardry and showmanship” (Madison Jazz).
As a chamber musician he has had the honor of collaborating with musicians such as Julian Schwarz, Alaria Ensemble, Frisson Ensemble, Clyde Thomas Shaw, Fry Street Quartet, Agua Va!, members of the Audubon Quartet, Stuart Malina, Blanka Bednarz, John O’Connor, David Oei and Seymour Lipkin, among others.
A Full Professor at Shenandoah University-Conservatory, he teaches jazz and classical bass. As a composer, he has enjoyed commissions from DiscoverDoubleBass.com, Berry College Orchestra, Barry Green, Blanka Bednarz, The International Society of Bassists Young Bass Division, the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and Jerry Fuller. He is also a specialist in the life and work of bassist and composer Rodion Azarkhin.
Dr. Stokes earned degrees from Vanderbilt University (B.M.) and Indiana University (M.M. and D.M.), where his major instructors were Lawrence Hurst, and Edgar Meyer. He studied fiddle styles with Crystal Ploughman and Mark O’Connor, string pedagogy with Lawrence Hurst, Helga Winold, Inez Wyrick and Mimi Zweig, and composition with Michael Alec Rose, Michael Kurek and Mary Jeanne Van Appledorn.
Stokes is a former President of Virginia String Teachers Association, Former Board Member for the International Society of Bassists.
Mark Urness is a versatile bassist, composer, and educator. His diverse performance experience encompasses orchestral, chamber, solo, jazz playing. He is an associate professor of music at Lawrence University in Appleton Wisconsin and the principal bassist of the Weidner Center Philharmonic Orchestra. His playing on the unaccompanied jazz album, Foreground, was described by Bass World magazine as “completely in command of the instrument and the tunes, rife with good ideas, melodic instinct, and groove.” Recent performances include Chamber music broadcasts on Wisconsin Public Radio, Concerto performances as guest soloist with the Fox Valley Youth Orchestra, a Solo Recital at the 2018 ISB convention, and jazz performances with Bill Carrothers, Danilo Perez, Peter Erskine, and Joe Locke.
Prior to his appointment to the faculty of Lawrence University, Mr. Urness taught at the University of Iowa, Coe College, and the University of Northern Iowa and was principal bassist of the Cedar Rapids Symphony. In 1999 he was awarded first prize in the ISB Jazz Bass competition. He received a Master of Music in double bass performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, a Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Northern Iowa, and studied music and computer science at the University of Iowa.