Double Bass

Alden F. Cohen

Principal

Sponsored by Dr. Roger Knacke

Professional Double Bassist

A San Francisco native, Mr. Cohen is a professional double bassist in the San Francisco Bay Area. A graduate from the Peabody Institute (B.M.) and San Francisco Conservatory of Music (M.M.). In 2018, Mr. Cohen won the Oakland Symphony Assistant Principal bass audition. In 2008, he won the Santa Cruz County Symphony principal bass audition. In 2004, Mr. Cohen won a spot on the San Francisco Symphony Double Bass substitute list. He is also a member of the Berkeley Symphony and Modesto Symphony and acting Principal Bass performances with the Berkeley Symphony, Fresno Symphony, Modesto Symphony, Symphony Napa Valley, Pacific Chamber Symphony, San Francisco Lyric Opera and West Bay Opera.

As a soloist, Mr. Cohen performed with Stephen Tramontozzi, San Francisco Symphony Bassist, at the San Francisco Bass Bash in 2016 & 2005. He has also performed with other double bassists for donor parties and other special events.

Teacher

Mr. Cohen has two decades of experience teaching double bass and cello students. Many students have won auditions into the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra as well as other youth orchestras in the Bay Area. Mr. Cohen’s students develop daily routines, organizational, goal oriented and critical thinking skills on top of becoming an accomplished artist. He has a passion for helping children to adults learn how to play the music they love on a cello or double bass. Learn more here. Check out Cohen Double Bass Studio on Yelp.

Publisher | Arranger | Engraver

Mr. Cohen is also an experienced musical arranger, publicist and music theory instructor. In 2021, he published his eBook, Mastering Double Bass Shifting. In 2020, he remastered nine parts of a reduced score of Tchikowsky’s Nutcracker for the Oakland Ballet. He has also helped arrange music for weddings.

http://www.aldenfcohen.com/ | 415-637-8855

Aleksey Klyushnik

Assistant Principal

Aleksey Klyushnik enjoys a versatile career as solo, chamber and orchestral musician. As a soloist, Aleksey has given many recital performances around the US. In 2008, Aleksey won The Parness Concerto Competition and performed the Hoffmeister Double Bass Concerto with the Culver City Symphony. Aleksey was granted twice the Award of Merit from Leni FeBland Foundation in Santa Barbara, and won the third prize at Boston's Bay State Concerto Competition in 2010. 

As an active chamber musician Aleksey has collaborated with many artists such as André Watts, David Shifrin, Philip Setzer, Ransom Wilson, Paul Neubauer, Altenberg Trio Vienna, Peabody Trio, Robert Van Sice and many others. Aleksey was invited to Chamber Music Northwest for two consecutive summers as Protégé Project fellow. Also Aleksey has been a member of the Maestro Chamber Music Academy in Santa Monica, and has participated in the Yellow Barn Chamber Music Festival. 

As an orchestral musician Aleksey has been a participant of the Pacific, Verbier and Lucerne music festivals performing in venues throughout Europe, US and Japan. Aleksey has collaborated with many great conductors, some of which include Pierre Boulez, Valeriy Gergiev, Charles Dutoit, Andrew Davis, Mikhail Pletnev, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Zubin Mehta. In 2008, Aleksey was appointed the principal bass of the Opera Pacific Orchestra in Santa Ana, Orange County, a post he held until November 2008. In addition, Aleksey has performed regularly with several orchestras in Southern California, including the San Diego and Long Beach symphonies. 

Aleksey completed all of his studies on full scholarship. He holds both the Bachelor of Music degree and the Artist Diploma from the Colburn Conservatory in Los Angeles, and the Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music. 

Kelly Beecher

Sponsored by George & Elizabeth Bunch

A native of Northeastern Ohio, Kelly Beecher studied the double bass at Kent State University, studying with Lawrence Angell of the Cleveland Orchestra. While in Ohio, he played with the symphonies of Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Toledo, Wheeling WV, and Fort Wayne IN, among others.

In California, Kelly has played many seasons with the Santa Cruz Symphony and Ensemble Monterey Chamber Orchestra.

James Schulz

James Schulz received his BA in Music from CSU East Bay (2010), and Masters in Music at SFCM (2013). James has performed with the Santa Cruz Symphony, One Found Sound in San Francisco, Rogue Valley Symphony in Southern Oregon, Modesto Symphony, Stockton, Monterey, Symphony Silicon Valley, and other regional symphonies. James also has performed in musical theater pits throughout the bay area on upright and electric bass, and a wide variety of other musical styles and ensembles. James teaches private lessons in the East Bay, and coaches bass sections in schools and youth orchestras throughout the area, and published a bass study book, "Double Bass: Exercises, Scales, and Reference" in 2022.

Plamen Velikov

Plamen Velikov