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Biography
 Daniel Nix began the double bass at the age of fourteen because of the
insistence of his orchestra director in Richardson, Texas. Having
previously studied violin from the age of ten, Daniel was persuaded to make
this supposedly temporary switch of instruments in order to accommodate the
needs of the orchestra. After having played the double bass only one day,
the director of the orchestra concluded that Daniel demonstrated too strong
an affinity for the instrument not to continue. After much reluctance,
Daniel focused his efforts on playing the double bass but subconsciously
longed for the gorgeous melodies so easily played on the violin. After his
years on the violin, Daniel found the double bass massive, uncomfortable,
and extremely difficult for producing a beautiful and satisfying sound. At
first he could not see a way to play such a cumbersome instrument in the way
he wanted. Upon hearing famed bassist Karr in concert, Daniel, at the age
of seventeen, realized the enormous potential of the instrument. After this
brief encounter, Daniel began to experiment
and learn how to produce what he considered “a gorgeous sound” with which he
could convey strong emotional messages similar to those he heard in the Karr
concert.
After studying for a year at the Southern
Methodist University in Dallas, TX, where Daniel had the extraordinary
opportunity to study with the finest members of the Dallas Symphony
Orchestra, he attended KarrKamp, an intensive course in double bass studies,
in 2003. There, for the first
time, Daniel had the chance to play for his mentor. Upon hearing him play,
Karr expressed a strong interest in working with Daniel privately. This
encouraged Daniel to move to Victoria, British Columbia in order to study
privately with Karr while also attending the University of Victoria to major
in music performance and study with Mary Rannie, principal bassist of the
Victoria Symphony.
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