Portland Youth Philharmonic Puts Double Bass Player Maggie Carter in the Spotlight

“In the world of classical music, the vast majority of concertos are written for violin and piano,” writes James Bash in Monday’s (2/27) Oregonian. “It is very rare to hear a concerto for double bass … Yet a concerto for bass is centerpiece of the upcoming Portland Youth Philharmonic concert [on March 4]. It will feature Maggie Carter, who won the orchestra’s annual concerto competition, playing Frank Proto’s virtuosic ‘Carmen Fantasy.’ Although she is 16 years old, Maggie Carter wields the double bass like nobody’s business…. She was All Classical Portland’s 2022 Young Artist in Residence and the featured soloist for the Oregon Symphony’s Young People’s Concerts in February…. She is currently studying with Jordan Anderson, principal bass of the Seattle Symphony, and intends to continue her studies at a conservatory with the goal of landing a position in a major orchestra. ‘The bass is a very physical instrument,’ noted David Hattner, musical director of the PYP. ‘It is very difficult to play the bass at an extremely high level like Maggie.’ ” Also on the program, Hattner will lead the youth orchestra in Ruth Gipps’s Symphony No. 3 and the world premiere of Jeff Scott’s “The Journey.”