Curtis Burris has taught bass for many years at the Chautauqua Institution.  I was with Kate Jones and ran into Curtis as he was chatting with Virginia Dixon on the streets of Ithaca.  Kate is a former student of Curtis, and she set up this interview for the following day. As it turns out, Curtis and I have a strangely large amount in common.  We both: went to Northwestern taught at DePaul played the Lithuanian Opera in Chicago subbed in the Lyric Opera and Grant Park Symphony played in Milwaukee (he was in the symphony and I played in the ballet) Curtis shares a ton of hilarious tales from the orchestra trenches and offers a wonderful perspective on teaching.  This conversation was a ton of fun! Follow along with all ISB-related coverage at contrabassconversations.com/ISB. Thanks to our sponsors! This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Kaplan strings, which have versatility and control throughout the dynamic spectrum, rich tonal color palette, superb bow response, and beautiful balance. Enter our latest string giveaway for Kaplan strings at contrabassconversations.com/strings! Thank you also to the Bass Violin Shop, which  offers the Southeast's largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!