The Musicians
Kevin Casseday (Bass)
Member of the JSO: Since 1985
Hometown: Dayton, Wash. Population 2,500
Education: Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in performance from Indiana University.
Why the bass? Kevin actually started playing the bass at 21 years old. After some time as a guitarist and electric bassist in rock bands, Kevin decided on a career in music.
Teaching: Faculty at the University of Florida School of Music since 1986. Organized and chairs the Florida Bass Bash, a summer music program for young bassists at UF. For the past eight years, Kevin has been a bass teacher for the Alachua County Youth Orchestra in Gainesville. In 2003, he published The Six Week Warm Up for Double Bass, a 380-page technique book for bass students. Kevin is now in the middle of editing the teaching material of his long time teacher, Stuart Sankey.
Performances outside the JSO: Kevin performs solo recitals at UF on a regular basis. The music ranges from renaissance to electronic, as well as performing as a duo with ‘cellist wife Laurie, and with a quintet that includes JSO violinists Ruxandra Marquardt and Chris Chappell, violist Colin Kiely and ‘cellist Laurie Casseday.
Favorite moment with the JSO: “Christmas of 2002. The wife of a player was in intensive care and the players dug deep in their pockets to help monetarily, and anonymously, just helping out a part of our family. It really was a special moment.”
Favorite music: Viol consorts, symphonies of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, Ravel and Debussy string quartets, jazz pianist Bill Evans, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hank Williams, Sr. and music of the second Viennese school.
Hobbies, community involvement: Kevin, who “grew up flying,” is a licensed pilot and flies between 150-200 hours a year. He is involved with the Young Eagles program of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Once a week he flies to Gainesville to teach at the University of Florida.
Home life: Kevin and Laurie spend their free time keeping up with their sons, Sam and Pete.