Gerda Kocsis – Learning in the Spotlight

February 8, 2024 Geoff Chalmers

Gerda Kocsis - intervIew & performance

In this video, I meet someone making a huge impact on the double bass world with her virtuosic and expressive performances. We hear how sharing her double bass practice helped Gerda Kocsis grow an enormous online following and promote the double bass to a worldwide audience. We also discuss her approach to playing expressively, what she's learnt from different teachers, including the legendary Thomas Martin, and much more.

Meet Gerda Kocsis!

Hailing from Budapest, Hungary, Gedra Kocsis is making a name for herself as an exciting new bassist. After recieving awards such as winning the International Dittersdorf Competition and a scholarship to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to complete her Masters, she is embarking on a career in solo bass playing and teaching. She is an extremely expressive and virtuosic player, and it is a pleasure to welcome Gerda to Discover Double Bass.

Gerda has recently set up a concert series, A Night with the Double Bass, with the intention of bringing solo, classical double bass into the spotlight. She runs community concerts that are free to attend, creating a space where people who would not usually be able to see a classical concert can not only experience one, but also learn about the double bass.

Interview/performance

Our discussion covers Gerda’s musical journey from music school in Hungary to studying in the U.K. and beyond. We discuss her influences, education, studying with the legendary Thomas Martin, expressive playing using both left and right hand technique, A Night with the Double Bass, sharing her progress through social media and much more.

In addition to the in-depth interview, there is a beautiful solo performance of Sonatina Based on Hungarian Folk-songs: II. Andante espressivo by Ferenc Farkas. Be sure to stick around to see her in action and don’t forget to follow Gerda via the links below.

I hope you enjoy this special interview/performance video. As usual, we have provided links to the people referenced in our conversation. There are also behind-the-scenes photos from the session; scroll down to check them out.

Timecodes

00:00 Introduction
01:35 Falling in love with the bass
02:58 A Night with the Double Bass
04:10 Education and teachers
06:35 Thomas Martin
09:05 Using the bow like a paint brush
11:16 Standing or seated?
11:52 Teaching
14:30 Online presence
15:50 What's next for you?
16:45 Bass and strings
17:48 Performance