Prof. Stefan Thomasz

Thomasz, Stefan (1944-), born in Timisoara, began his musical education on the piano and at the same time studied double bass with Iosif Scarpa, which later became his main instrument. He studied double bass at the Bucharest Academy of Music from 1963 with Joseph Prunner and from 1968 with Ion Cheptea. His studies include the transcription and partial performance of Antonin Dvořák's Cello Concerto for double dass. In 1966 he was accepted into the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra in Bucharest, where he worked as a soloist from 1982. As a member of this orchestra, he toured the world. He made his first public appearance in 1964 at the National Music Festival in Bucharest, where he won first prize. In 1974 he played a full-length concert in Bucharest, in 1982 in Oradea and in 1983 again in Bucharest. He performed regularly with various chamber music ensembles, most often in Musica Redivova under the direction of Lajos Bács, where he played bass viola da gamba and alto viola da gamba in addition to the double bass. With this ensemble he undertook numerous concert tours through Europe. He has made four recordings, two with classical works and two with contemporary compositions. Sound recordings of his concerts have been preserved, but studio recordings were also made with the accompaniment of the Bucharest Radio Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Lajos Bács. After graduating with double bass studies in 1968, he spent the next two years exclusively honing his cello skills with college professors Serafim Antropov and George Jarosevici. Of course, the experience gained at that time also flowed into his double bass playing, so he developed a special technique of the left hand, which he then regularly used as an additional grip. In 2004 he transcribed J. S. Bach's Cello Suites for double bass. In 2007 he received his doctorate with the dissertation Transcriptions and Arrangements for Double Bass based on the works of J. S. Bach. In 2008 he published his first two volumes: one with the above title and the second with the Bach Cello Suites as part of a critical edition. In 2008 he ended his orchestral career with the Bucharest Philharmonic after 42 seasons. From 1993 to 2021 he worked at the Bucharest Academy of Music in the double bass department and at the same time in the chamber music department. He is currently engaged in the editing of numerous transcriptions and revisions that have been produced over the years.