The 26th Annual SF Winter Bass Bash features a recital at 12 noon by Baltimore Symphony Orchestra bassist Nina DeCesare with Keisuke Nakagoshi on piano.
This event is free of charge and will be held in Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall "A" which is accessed from Franklin Street.
The San Francisco Symphony requires proof of up-to-date vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone ages 12 and up—including a booster shot at least one week prior to an event for eligible patrons—for entry into Davies Symphony Hall. Audience members under age 12 (or their parents or guardians) must show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test (PCR test taken within 2 days of event entry or antigen [rapid] test taken within 1 day of event entry).
Based on health and safety recommendations from the City and County of San Francisco and due to the transmissibility of the Omicron variant, the SF Symphony requires a non-vented respirator, such as an N95, KN95, or KF94 face mask, for entry into Davies Symphony Hall.
Nina DeCesare joined the bass section of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in September 2020 after five years in the Oregon Symphony bass section. She has also performed with the Seattle Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Knights Orchestra, and the Oregon Bach Festival.
Equally comfortable as a orchestral musician, soloist, and chamber musician, Nina regularly performs with Third Angle New Music, 45th Parallel, and Classical Up Close. Nina is passionate about teaching and mentorship and has presented masterclasses at Peabody Institute, the Pittsburgh Bass Symposium, and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. In the summer, she has appeared as faculty at KC Bass Workshop, the Twin Cities Bass Camp, and the Rabbath Institute Los Angeles.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Nina embarked on several “pandemic projects” including an ambitious #36daysofBach venture inspired by Alisa Weilerstein, recording all of the movements of the six Bach cello suites consecutively over six weeks. In the summer of 2020, Nina co-founded the Double Bass Lab with members of the LA Philharmonic and the San Diego Symphony, teaching weekly classes for students unable to take lessons in person due to the pandemic.
Nina began playing the bass while studying with renowned pedagogue George Vance. As a young bassist, she also worked closely with François Rabbath, Ali Yazdanfar, Ira Gold, and Hal Robinson. While still in high school, Nina won first place in both the Under 14 and 15-18 age divisions of the International Society of Bassists’ solo competition. In 2011, Nina made her solo debut with the Chesapeake Orchestra in Southern Maryland, performing the Vanhal Concerto.
Nina completed her Bachelor of Music degree at Rice University (‘14), studying with Paul Ellison. During her time at Rice, she spent her summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, Sarasota Music Festival, Moritzburg Festival Academy, Wabass Institute and Domaine Forget International Academy. In 2012, Nina was awarded Rice University's Wagoner Fellowship to spend the summer in Paris, where she studied intensively with François Rabbath. Nina also represented the Shepherd School as a part of the Conservatory Project, which culminated in a solo performance at the Kennedy Center.