Page 232 - PDF Flip TR Program Demo

Xavier Foley is an accomplished classical bassist, performing in solo and chamber concerts, and also a talented composer of inven- tive works that draw inspiration from any and all styles of music.
Devanney Haruta: How did you start playing the bass?
Xavier Foley: I was 11 at the time, and I didn’t really have any deep desire to play, I just liked the size of the instrument. I didn’t even think I was going to pursue it professionally, I just thought I was going to pick it up and put it back and that would be the end of that. And maybe I’d go to college for something like economics or business. But I went to college for something I wasn’t expecting. It was quite surprising.
DH: Why did you decide to pursue bass performance professionally?
XF: The fact that I spent so much time on it and not much time with anything else . . . I really had no choice but to take it up professionally! I spent probably more time than I should have on the instrument, and it wouldn’t have made sense not to pursue it in college and then as a career.
DH: In the chamber pieces that you’ll play at Tippet Rise, how does your bass part contribute to the ensemble?
XF: The bass plays the continuo. It’s meant to provide the foundation and the rhythm for all the other higher pitched
232 The Music at Tippet Rise
CONVERSATION WITH
XAVIER FOLEY