| Bio: | Recognized as one of the world's great bass virtuosi, Joel Quarrington began studying the instrument at The Royal Conservatory of Music when he was 13. Subsequent training took him to Italy and Austria. A winner of the prestigious Geneva International Competition, Mr. Quarrington has made solo appearances throughout Canada, the U.S., Europe and China, and has played concerti with the symphony orchestras of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Hamilton and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, where he is currently principal bass. He also performs with Artists of The Royal Conservatory (ARC) and has released several recordings, including Virtuoso Reality (CBC Records) and a CD devoted to the works of Bottesini (Naxos). Mr. Quarrington is a strong advocate of the unusual practice of tuning the bass in fifths, an octave lower then the cello, a tuning which he uses exclusively. His Italian bass was made in 1630 by the Brescian master, Giovanni Paolo Maggini. In his precious free time, Mr. Quarrington is an enthusiastic connoisseur of the world's beer. He has also acquired an underground following for his recordings on the erhu, a violin-like Chinese instrument with two strings. These include the now classic CDs: Everybody Digs the Erhu, Country Erhu '98, Three Erhus at the Acropolis, and most recently, Erhus From Beyond the Galaxy. |
