Ali Cook is a bassist, singer, and songwriter currently located in Austin, Texas.  She has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Washington Ballet, Tanglewood, Spoleto Festival USA, the Alabama Symphony, and at the Salzburger Festspiele.  Ali is currently teaching in Austin and building her career as an independent singer-songwriter. We talk about her path into music, what it was like being a long-term substitute player in top-level orchestras, creativity and how it works (or doesn’t!) in an orchestral setting, taking the plunge and moving to Austin to pursue new directions, and much more. Enjoy, and be sure to check out Ali’s website, her singer-songwriter website Ali and the Wild Geese, and you can also help her raise funds for her debut album!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle. Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.   Thank you to our sponsors!   Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio - CMU is dedicated to helping each student achieve their goals as a musician. Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city's ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.   Wabass Institute - Wabass Institute, a part of the Honeywell Arts Academy, is a unique full-scholarship performance institute.  Wabass uniquely fosters an inclusive, supportive environment where ideas are freely shared from teacher to student and vice versa.  Check out Wabass behind the scenes here, and be sure to apply by February 15th!   Contrabass Conversations production team: Jason Heath, host Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing Mitch Moehring, audio engineer Trevor Jones, publication and promotion theme music by Eric Hochberg