Andrew W. Brown, Ph.D., Mag. Art., B.M.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS:
Instruction: experienced class teacher at elementary school and university levels, specializing in the Kodaly Method and stringed instruments. Faculty member, Washington D.C. Youth Orchestra Program, double bass instructor. Instrumental and vocal conducting, composition and arranging of children’s and popular songs for solo, ensemble and orchestra pieces.
Research: scientific studies of violins, guitars and double basses using DSP, Fourier spectral analysis, laser vibrometry and listening tests. Publications and presentations at international academic conferences.
Performance: experienced double bass performer with a variety of musical styles, ranging from orchestra to avant garde chamber music, jazz and pop. Additional skills on the electric bass, guitar, voice, sousaphone, accordion, recorder, keyboards, cello, and percussion.
EXPERIENCE:
German School Washington, D.C., 2004-present. Elementary School music teacher, department head. Leader of the school recorder ensemble, choir and (Orff) instrumental group. Teaching general music pupils to transcribe simple melodies by the fourth grade. Frequently write, arrange, prepare and perform music for concerts.
Brulee, 2008-present. Bassist, composer and singer with local band. (www.bandbrulee.com). Actively composing, performing and recording in the D.C. area.
University of Music and Dramatic Arts, Vienna, Austria: Seminar Instructor, “Acoustics of Stringed Instruments”, Summer Semester 2004.
Institut fuer Wiener Klangstil, Vienna, Austria 1999-2004. Research assistant (Lehrbeauftragter). Helped develop the VIAS stringed instrument acoustic measurement system (www.bias.at). Presented research papers at international conferences (ISMA, SMAC, AAA). Developed recording, measurement and digital signal processing skills (Sound Forge, ADAT, S-Tools).
Vienna, Austria, 1991-2005. Successful free-lance double bassist in a variety of styles. Genres included classical orchestra, opera and chamber music (Vienna Chamber Opera, Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester, Akademietheater, Wiener Operettensommer, etc.), contemporary chamber music (Pierrot Lunaire Ensemble), big band and combo jazz ensembles (Salonorchester Alhambra, pop group “SM”, backing combo for tap artist Michael Seida), tours with avant-garde puppetry (Figurentheater Karin Schaefer), and as a soloist and singer-songwriter.
Conductors: Michael Tilson Thomas, Claudio Abbado, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Gielen, H. W. Henze, Jan Latham-Koenig and many others.
Festival Orchestras: Pacific Music Festival, Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra.
EDUCATION:
Ph.D. Music Acoustics, 2004. University of Music and Dramatic Arts, Vienna, Austria: Awarded a perfect score on Dissertation, “An Acoustical Study of Flat- and Round-Backed Double Basses”. GPA: 4.0.
Magister Artium (Master’s Degree), Double Bass Performance, 1999. University of Music and Dramatic Arts, Vienna, Austria: Studies with Ludwig Streicher and Josef Niederhammer.
Bachelor of Music, Double Bass Performance, magna cum laude, 1991. Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.: Studies with Bill Vaughan of the National Symphony Orchestra. GPA: 3.58. Member of Musicians’ Honor Society Pi Kappa Lambda, Beta Rho Chapter.
ADDITIONAL SKILLS:
Software skills include Finale, Sibelius, Sound Forge, Logic Pro, Word, Excel, Power Point, File Maker, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Quicken, and others.
Languages: English and German, some Italian and Spanish.
Other Interests: lutherie and stringed instrument repair, wood working, web design, artistic pursuits such as drawing, painting and printing, sound recording.