Bassencounters 2008

JOEL QUARRINGTON

Born in Toronto, Joel Quarrington began playing the bass at the age of eleven in order to complete a bluegrass/folk trio with his two older brothers, Tony and Paul. He began formal studies of the double bass at the age of 13 with Thomas Monohan, the late principal bassist of the Toronto Symphony as well as Peter Madgett, also a member of the Toronto Symphony. Subsequent studies took him to Italy and Austria where he studied with two legendary bass masters, Franco Petracchi and Ludwig Streicher.
Joel is a winner of the Geneva International Competition, and has made solo appearances in Canada, the United States, Europe and China. He has long been recognized as Canada‘s foremost double bassist and is regarded as one of the world‘s leading players. His colourful performance style has entertained audiences across the country and around the world.
He also has led many bass sections: the Hamilton Philharmonic, the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra and since September 1991, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In September 2006 he became the Principal Bassist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra under Pinchas Zukerman.
Joel Quarrington is a faculty member of Toronto‘s Royal Conservatory of Music and has taught in masterclasses for such esteemed schools as Philadelphia‘s Curtis Institute and London‘s Royal Academy of Music. As a renowned chamber musician he has performed with many of the world‘s leading string quartets including the Oxford, Vermeer, Cleveland, Colorado, St. Lawrence, Allegri and Tokyo Quartets.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY

Bottesini Music For Double Bass & Piano Vol 2 – Quarrington / Burashko (Naxos)
Bottesini Music For Double Bass & Piano Vol 1 – Quarrington / Burashko (Naxos)
Virtuoso Reality Joel Quarrington & friends (CBC Records)
Mozart? The Festival Winds (CBC Records)
The Instruments Of The Orchestra Jeremy Siepmann (Naxos)
Chamber Suite Mendelssohn, Glick, Bruch / Wilson & Friends (Doremi)
Classical Potpourri Catherine Wilson & Friends (Doremi)