Grace Fassler

After the winter concert for orchestra in high school, junior Anushka Dharmasanam learns a new piece, Movements III and IV of Britten’s Simple Symphony. Dharmasanam played the double bass for Missouri All-State Orchestra. “I was screaming [when I learned that I made it], and I was at my uncle’s house so we all hugged and celebrated,” Dharmasanam said.

Watching her peers gaze over the instrument choices, fourth-grader Anushka Dharmasanam observed that no one was interested in the double bass. Viewing the opportunity to explore a different instrument, Anuskha chose the double bass. Fast forward eight years and Anushka’s scrutiny led to a passion that has landed her a seat on the Missouri All-State Orchestra.

The double bass is the largest and the lowest-pitched bowed strings instrument in a symphony orchestra. It is similar in structure to the cello and has four, sometimes five, strings. It is usually played with a bow but can also be plucked. 

“I just like how it’s low and you can feel the music. You can really feel the waves of double bass because it’s such a low instrument,” Dharmasanam said.

Dharmasanam spends three to four hours each week on top of her lessons and Orchestra class playing the bass. 

“I begin [my practice sessions] with a warm-up out of a practice book,” Dharmasanam said. “I do targeted practice, which is finding the hardest parts in the music. I [also] record myself because sometimes when you’re playing, it’s hard to listen to yourself and be like, ‘oh, yeah, I didn’t play that well.’ It’s a lot easier to look back and listen to yourself and say that definitely needs some work.” 

During her freshman and sophomore years, Dharmasanam auditioned and earned a spot in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra (SLYSO). 

“We’d meet at Lafayette Square to rehearse “Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings” outside. It was one of the most interesting experiences I’d had in my life,” Dharmasanam said. “It felt like I was fighting the wind trying to play my bass. It’s a big instrument with a lot of surface area so the wind grabs it well. It taught me a lot about how to watch for movements when I can’t hear something, which is a really important skill to me considering I play an instrument that usually doesn’t get melody but instead has to follow the melody that someone else might be playing.”

This season was the first year Dharmasanam auditioned for All-State Orchestra. The competitors were given different pieces to practice in advance. Then, on Dec. 4, the competitors headed to Missouri State University for a blind audition from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.. 

“At 5 p.m. we found out if we made it or not. I didn’t even realize until the orchestra teacher texted all of us and he’s like, you guys made [it], all three, [Alan Song and Erik Oswald], of you,” Dharmasanam said. “I was screaming and it was so scary we all kind of were hugging each other [Dharmasanam’s mother and uncle].”

The next step for Dharmasanam on the road to All-State is to practice and rehearse with the Orchestra for their performance.

“All-State practices were one of the most difficult I’d ever experienced, it was no joke. We had one of the most intense practice schedules with 4 rehearsals every day, so we would rehearse 8-9 hours each day. By the end of it, my shoulders ached, my fingers were sore, and my wrists were about to give out. Although I was physically exhausted, I was not musically exhausted and I wanted to rehearse even more with that amazing group if I could,” Dharmasanam said. “There was an odd familiarity in the atmosphere, it felt like we’d all known each other for weeks even though we only knew each other for a mere few days. We had a strange musical connection with one another, we breathed together on the downbeats, we watched each other intensely for cues, we formed a bond as an ensemble that I’d never experienced.”

After the intensive rehearsals and practices, the Orchestra performed from Jan. 26-29 at the annual Missouri Music Educators Association Conference at Margaritaville, in Osage Beach, Mo..

“The performance was really fun. The thing I enjoyed the most was the energy of the atmosphere. Knowing that everyone around you appreciated music just as much if not more than you was great because every single note was played with full attention and intensity. Being on stage with some of the best musicians in the state was amazing because of their skill but also because of their kindness,” Dharmasanam said.