Larry Hurst

Larry Hurst
Born	Lawrence Page Hurst January 11, 1937 Norfolk, Virginia
🎓 Alma mater	University of Michigan
💼 Occupation	Classical double bassist Academic teacher
🏢 Organization	Jacobs School of Music Interlochen Arts Camp
👩 Spouse(s)	Celeste Hurst (Kiyo) (m. 1981)

Lawrence "Larry" Page Hurst (born January 11, 1937) is an American double bassist and professor emeritus.

Early life and education

Early life

Lawrence Hurst was born in Norfolk, Virginia, to Ruth and Harry M. Hurst. The teenage couple was married in 1931 in the midst of the Great Depression. Harry attended night school to finish his high school equivalency diploma, as well as apprenticing as a metalworker, a vocation which he followed for the rest of his life. The couple was not at all musical, but Harry loved the sound of the accordion.

Hurst began his musical studies at the age of four when his father bought him a twelve-bass piano accordion at a local music store in Norfolk. He learned how to read musical notation from his mother before he could even read English. His first music teacher was Godfrey Fluxe, who was a violinist but taught many other instruments, including the accordion. Fluxe would often play along on the violin during his lessons. Hurst believes this is where he first started to love the sound of the strings. Hurst was very successful with the accordion and, at six years old, auditioned for the Major Bowes Amateur Hour. At 12, he performed on the Horace Heidt Show, which was one of the most popular radio shows of the time. He performed on the accordion all the way through his time at the University of Michigan where he made several solo performances with the University of Michigan symphonic band under the directorship of William Revelli.

Hurst’s passion for classical music was ignited when he saw a television broadcast of the NBC Symphony performing a Beethoven symphony under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. He was mesmerized by the magnitude and intricacy of the orchestra, more specifically the strings. He told his mother about this, and she bought him an album featuring Toscanini and the NBC’s performance of Beethoven’s 2nd and 4th symphonies. He was in awe of how anyone could conceive of such music. He told his junior high orchestra teacher, Nicholas Ricardo, that he just had to play in the orchestra. Thinking he was too big for the violin, Ricardo gave him a cello. Hurst took cello lessons for a month or so until his father received a bill from the school. The cello rental cost, on top of his bi-weekly accordion lessons, was just too much of a financial burden for the family, so his father told him he couldn't continue playing the cello. He went back to his teacher and asked if there was any instrument in the orchestra he could play for free, and his teacher gave him a double bass.

Hurst began studying bass at age 13 with Nadine Derby through the public school system. At age 15, Hurst was appointed principal bass of the Norfolk Symphony, which at the time was directed by Edgar Schenkman, former orchestra director at the Juilliard School in New York. Schenkman also tutored Hurst in music theory and other music subjects prior to his attending the University of Michigan.

About a year before Hurst left for school at the University of Michigan, Derby suggested he study with a bassist named Alan Warner. Warner had just moved to Richmond from New York City and also taught students in Norfolk as well as Richmond. Warner possessed a notably rich and voluminous sound and had studied in New York with Anselme Fortier. Fortier was the principal bassist with the New York Philharmonic and was one of the great double bass performers and pedagogues in the U.S. and a proponent of the French School of playing. Hurst was inspired by his work with Warner and continued his studies with him until he entered the University of Michigan.

As well as his success on the double bass, Hurst was also very advanced in his academic studies. He graduated in December 1954, from Maury High School as valedictorian of his class. Upon graduation, he was awarded a General Motors Scholarship, which at the time was awarded to only about 10 students nationwide who exemplified the highest academic and extracurricular achievements. This award covered tuition, room, and board at the University of Michigan. Hurst was also very active in the Boy Scouts of America. He earned Eagle Scout, with an additional Eagle Palm and was awarded the God and Country badge. He was also a member of the Explorer Scouts and the Order of the Arrow.

University

Lawrence Hurst entered the University of Michigan School of Music in September 1955, as a Strings Performance Major with a certification to teach. Being that his major was in strings, he was required to have a proficient knowledge of all the instruments in the string family, while primarily focusing on the double bass. Hurst’s double bass professor was Clyde Thompson. Thompson, like Hurst’s former teacher Alan Warner, was a student of Anselme Fortier. Thompson was Hurst’s biggest mentor and inspiration; he credits him for most of his knowledge of the double bass.

During his time at the University of Michigan, Hurst was a very active freelance bassist, playing in a total of six different local orchestras in Michigan. He was also the manager of the School of Music's student orchestra and a member of the school's gamba consort.

Hurst graduated magna cum laude in 1959 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was awarded the Stanley Medal, the highest award to a graduating senior.

Professional career

7th Army Symphony and Dallas Symphony

Upon graduating from the University of Michigan, Hurst expected to be drafted into the Army to serve in the demilitarization and cleanup of Korea after the Korean War. He had heard about an orchestra in Europe known as the 7th Army Symphony, which was an army orchestra stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. In his mind, this was a much more attractive and enriching way to serve his country, so Hurst sent many letters to the 7th Army Symphony asking for an audition and membership. He was accepted and served eighteen months mainly on tour with the orchestra. The orchestra performed lots of American music, as well as the classics, and performed in many of Europe’s finest concert halls and opera houses. This time was very important in Hurst’s professional development and helped prepare him for the rest of his orchestral career. Soon before his last tour with the orchestra was over, Hurst heard that Georg Solti (later Sir Georg Solti) was to become the new music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in Dallas, Texas, and that they were looking to hire a principal bass. At the time, Solti was the director of the Oper Frankfurt. Hurst traveled 200 miles to Frankfurt to audition for Solti. He was given 10 minutes to play for Solti and, after his performance, was offered the job immediately. Upon arriving in Dallas, Hurst discovered that the acting music director of the Dallas Symphony had also hired a principal bassist. The assistant conductor, Donald Johanos, was given the authority to re-audition both candidates and name the principal. Hurst’s bass was in transit from Germany, so he had to borrow one from another member of the orchestra. He had a day to prepare and get used to the new bass before the audition. Both candidates played for over an hour and a half, the majority of the music being sight-reading. Hurst prevailed in the audition and began his time as principal bassist of the Dallas Symphony under Solti. After two years, Solti left Dallas for a position as principal conductor at Covent Garden in London, England. At that point, Hurst decided to leave the orchestra and return to the University of Michigan to pursue a Master’s degree in Performance.

University of Michigan

Shortly after beginning his degree, Hurst’s teacher, Clyde Thompson, took a position as Dean at Ohio University in Athens. Hurst took over for Thompson as a faculty member starting in 1964. He taught not only the double bass students but secondary cello students in music education. He even co-authored an elementary cello method book titled Fundamentals of Cello Technique with Jerome Jelinek, a faculty colleague and professor of cello. Hurst remained an active performer during his time on the University of Michigan Faculty; he gave many recitals at the School of Music and was principal bassist of the Flint Symphony.

In 1965, Hurst co-founded The Midwest Double Bass Symposium with double bassist and educator, Warren Benfield. Benfield was a member of the Chicago Symphony and Professor of Double Bass at Northwestern University. The first symposium took place on the Northwestern campus in 1965 and lasted for another 35 years; each year at a different university in the Midwest. The Midwest Symposium was created so all the double bass students and educators of the Midwest could gather in one place and hear the students play and interact with each other.

In 1979, Hurst was appointed Associate Dean for External Programs for the School of Music in Ann Arbor, which meant that he was in charge of the educational curriculum of over 200 students and 24 faculty of the University Division at Interlochen during the summer months. He served as Associate Dean for seven years. Prior to his appointment as Associate Dean, Hurst was chair of the String Department for nine years. Once appointed Associate Dean, Hurst could no longer teach a full studio of 20 students, so Jeff Bradetich was hired as a second instructor. During his appointment as Associate Dean, Hurst served on a panel for the National Endowment for the Arts, led by opera singer, Beverly Sills. He was also very active in the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) and was Chair of their National Solo Competition for six years.

Interlochen Center for the Arts

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Joseph Maddy began his founding of an arts boarding high school, known today as the Interlochen Arts Academy. In 1963, Maddy asked Clyde Thompson to be the bass teacher at the Academy, and he agreed. Shortly after, however, Thompson took a sabbatical from the University of Michigan. Hurst took his place in teaching the academy bass students for that school year. In 1967, Hurst began teaching at the National Music Camp, mainly in the All-State program which was administered by the University of Michigan School of Music. At that time, Oscar Zimmerman, a long-time teacher at the Eastman School of Music, taught all the other bass players in the camp. Every summer since 1967, Hurst has taught a large class of high school-age bassists at the Interlochen Arts Camp, and since 1987, team-taught with his colleague, and long-time personal friend, Winston (Jack) Budrow. Many students from the camp have gone on to become very successful bassists and musicians.

Indiana University

In 1985, Hurst received a phone call from Stuart Sankey, professor of double bass at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Sankey informed him that Murray Grodner, the other double bass faculty at the Jacobs School, was about to retire and wanted to know if he was interested in the job. Hurst told Sankey he was interested, and two weeks later Hurst received a call from Murray Grodner who asked him the same question. Earlier that year, the University Division at Interlochen had been dissolved for financial reasons, and this, along with several other negative occurrences at the school and with Hurst’s immense respect for Stuart Sankey and Murray Grodner, led him to accept an invitation from the dean of the Jacobs School, Charles Webb, to give a masterclass on the IU campus and interview for the job. The string department and the dean, Charles Webb, were impressed with Hurst, and Webb offered him the position on the spot. Hurst accepted the position at the Jacobs School of Music and began as faculty in 1986. Upon his appointment, the dean asked Hurst to take over as head of the string department. Hurst was hesitant to take the position before he got to know the other 20 or so faculty in the department, so he asked the dean to give him a year to get acclimated. After his first year, he was appointed the chair of the String Department, a title he kept for the remainder of his career at the Jacobs School of Music. Upon Charles Webb’s retirement in 1997, Hurst was appointed as the chair of the committee to find and recommend to the president of the university a new dean. When the new dean, David Woods, was appointed, Woods asked Hurst to act as Associate Dean for the academic year. In 2006, the Sarasota Music Festival asked him to be on their faculty. He has been in the festival until the present. In 2012, after 26 years on the faculty, Hurst retired from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus of Strings. Former students from both the University of Michigan and Indiana University started a scholarship in his name for bassists at the Jacobs School. A medal was also struck in his honor and is given to a deserving graduating senior in double bass performance at the Jacobs School. Hurst was very active in the International Society of Bassists (ISB), serving on their Board and organizing the 1995 Convention in Bloomington. He also served as president of the ISB for the years 1995–97.

"His [Hurst's] students can be found in orchestras and musical venues all over the world, including the orchestras of Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Atlanta, The Metropolitan Opera, St. Louis, Denver, Utah, Oregon, Israel Philharmonic, Hamburg State Opera, and Gothenburg, to name a few."

Personal life

In 1961, he married Marlene Schneider, whom he met at the University of Michigan during his undergraduate years. They were divorced in 1976. As head of the University of Michigan Division of the National Music Camp, he hired Celeste Kiyo as his administrative assistant in 1977. In 1981, they were married. There are two stepdaughters, Kristen Lindsay of Hilton Head Island, SC, and Katie Kiyo Diener of Bloomfield Hills, MI. He also has a grandson, Christopher Lindsay, and two great-granddaughters, Isabelle and Amaya Lindsay. He has a brother, Harry Hurst Jr., and a sister, Crystal M. Gooding, who is deceased.

Lawrence Hurst currently resides in Bloomington, Indiana, where he remains active in the Jacobs School of Music's double bass class. He spends his free time fishing, birdwatching, and doing crosswords.

Awards

• 1955 General Motors Full-Tuition Room and Board Scholarship
• 1959 – Albert A. Stanley Medal, highest honor to a graduating senior at the University of Michigan School of Music
• 1969 – Rackham Grant, The University of Michigan for the study of the tromba marina
• 1990 – Listed in International Who’s Who in Music and Musician’s Directory, Thirteenth Edition, Melrose Press, Ltd., England
• 1993 – American String Teachers Distinguished Service Award
• 1997 – The International Society of Bassists Gavel Award for outstanding leadership
• 1998 – The University of Michigan School of Music Alumni Society Citation of Merit Award for outstanding achievement in music
• 2005 – Artist/Teacher of the Year, American String Teachers Association
• 2006 – Excellence in Teaching Award, International Society of Bassists
• 2006 – Establishment of the Lawrence Hurst Award at the Interlochen Arts Camp
• 2012 – Establishment of the Hurst Medal and Award at the Jacobs School of Music
• 2013 – Distinguished Service Award, International Society of Bassists
• 2016 – Lifetime Achievement Award, Indiana String Teachers Association

List of professional positions

Academic Positions

Indiana University

• 1986–2012 — Professor of Music, Tenured
• 2012–Present — Prof. Emeritus of Strings (Double Bass)

The University of Michigan

• 1964–1966 — Assistant Professor of Music
• 1966–1971 — Associate Professor of Music, Tenured
• 1971–1986 — Professor of Music, Tenured

Interlochen Center for the Arts

• 1964–1965 — Faculty, Interlochen Arts Academy
• 1967, 1972–1985—Faculty, The University of Michigan Division at Interlochen
• 1967–Present — Faculty, Interlochen Arts Camp (formerly National Music Camp) at Interlochen, Michigan

Other

• 1960–1961 — Faculty, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
• 1965–1966 — Faculty, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan

Administrative Positions

• 1968–1977 — Chair, String Department, The University of Michigan School of Music
• 1977–1984 — Director, The University of Michigan Division, National Music Camp, Interlochen, Michigan
• 1979–1984 — Associate Dean of External Programs, The University of Michigan School of Music
• 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992 — Chair, National Solo Competition, American String Teachers Association
• 1988–1992 — Member, Board of Directors, American String Teachers Association
• 1995 — Chair, International Society of Bassists Convention, Bloomington, Indiana
• 1995–1997 — President, International Society of Bassists
• 1989–2003 — Member, Board of Directors, International Society of Bassists
• 1998 — Chair, International Society of Bassists Solo Competition
• 1998 — Elected member, Board of Directors, American String Teachers Association
• 1987–2012 — Chair, String Department, Indiana University School of Music
• 1997–1998 — Interim Associate Dean for Instruction, Indiana University School of Music

Performance positions

• 1964–Present—Numerous faculty recitals and guest performances in orchestras and

Music festivals

• 1959–1961 — Principal Bassist, Seventh Army Symphony (Stuttgart, Germany)
• 1961–1963 — Principal Bassist, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
• 1963–1966 — Principal Bassist, Flint Symphony Orchestra

External links

• Trevor Jones: The Bass Etudes Interviews – Larry Hurst doublebassblog.org May 21, 2018
• Bob Philips: An Interview with Bassist Larry Hurst journals.sagepub.com August 1, 2011
• Lawrence P. Hurst interlochen.org
• Magazines (articles) International Society of Bassists 2020

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