Please join us for the 15th annual UNL Bass Day! The event is free and open to bass students, teachers, and string teachers interested in learning more about the bass. Bass Day includes technique, orchestral, and jazz workshops, performances, and a master class. Our featured guest artist is international double bass virtuoso and pedagogue Catalin Rotaru who will be joined by pianist Wan-Ting Yu. This will be an incredible opportunity to connect, learn, collaborate, and celebrate the double bass. Looking forward to seeing you there!
October 18, 2025 Schedule
| 9:30 | Check-In |
| 10:00 | Warm-ups and Orchestral Workshop with Dr. Chunyang Wang |
| 10:40 | Technique Class with Catalin Rotaru |
| 11:20 | Jazz Workshop with Evan LeBouef |
| 12:00 | Lunch (please bring your own lunch) |
| 1:00 | Recital featuring Catalin Rotaru and Wan-Ting Yu |
| 2:00 | Masterclass with Catalin Rotaru |
| 3:00 | Q&A and Wrap-Up |
All sessions will be held in the new Westbrook Music Building.
Questions? Please email Dr. Chunyang Wang at cwang66@unl.edu.
Dr. Chunyang Wang joined the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, as Lecturer of Double Bass in Fall 2025. He was born into a family of double bassists in Harbin, China, and is currently the Principal Double Bass of Arizona Opera and Orchestra Iowa, and section bass with the Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra. Chunyang has given masterclasses and recitals across the United States, including recently at the Scottsdale Performing Arts Center, Tempe Center for the Arts, and Kerr Cultural Center. He also served on the faculty of James Madison University, and has been a faculty member at the Philadelphia International Music Festival and Mt. Blanca Summer Music Conservatory.
As a soloist, Chunyang has won numerous competitions including the American String Teachers Association Double Bass Competition and the Arizona Double Bass Festival Solo Competition. He has been a two-time Finalist in the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition, and two-time semifinalist in the Bradetich Foundation International Solo Double Bass Competition, where his composition, Caprice for Solo Double Bass, was awarded Best Contemporary Performance.
Chunyang holds bachelors and masters of music degrees from The Juilliard School where he studied with Timothy Cobb, and received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Arizona State University under Professor Catalin Rotaru.
Catalin Rotaru, double bass, joined the School of Music at Arizona State University, in 2005. Mr. Rotaru is in demand as a performer and clinician throughout the world. He is a graduate of the National University of Music from Bucharest, Romania and holds a Master’s degree in music performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Previously he was Associate Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, taught at Millikin University and at the University of Illinois at Urbana –Champaign.
He served as associate principal bass in the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, principal bass in the Sibiu Philharmonic Orchestra, Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra of Bucharest, associate principal and principal bass in Sinfonia Da Camera, and principal bass of the Orchestra Sinfonica Europea. He received the second prize at the 1997 International Society of Bassists Solo Division Competition and the Jury's Special Award for the best performance of the required piece at that competition. He was the winner of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Debut Recital Award in 1997, the Central Illinois Chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters Award in 1996 and in 2013, was honored with the “Recognition award for Solo Performance” by the International Society of Bassists. Mr. Rotaru’s debut solo CD, entitled “Bass*ic Cello Notes” was released by Summit Records in March 2007 and in 2010 released his second CD entitled “Juliana D’Agostini + Catalin Rotaru” which was recorded in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
In 2012 Mr. Rotaru recorded his third CD, in collaboration with the National Symphony Orchestra of Paraguay, which includes the world premiere of a double bass performance of the famous violin concerto no. 5 by W.A. Mozart and in 2014 he released a special CD/DVD package with works by Frank Proto which includes the world premiere recording of Proto’s Sonata no. 2 dedicated to him. In 2017 Mr. Rotaru had the great honor of recording a world premiere historical CD entitled “The Lord of the Basses – Bottesini’s Testore” performing on Bottesini’s double bass made by Testore in 1716 and in the same year he released another CD album entitled “Sonic Bridges vol. II” recorded with the National Symphony Orchestra of Paraguay. This album includes a few world premiere works dedicated to him as well as the first rendition of Mozart’s “Sinfonia Concertante” where the solo viola part is played on double bass. More recently, in 2018, he releases his 7th CD album recorded in Italy featuring two prominent sonatas from the violin and cello repertoire. Professor Rotaru has been a frequent solo performer as recitalist or guest soloist with numerous symphony orchestras and gave master classes at many prestigious institutions and festivals in United States, Asia, Europe and South America. Mr. Rotaru performs on a modern instrument made in Italy by Luciano Golia and a bow made by Marco Pasquino, and is a Pirastro Strings endorsing artist.
Wan-Ting Yu was born in Taiwan and has been studying since a very young age both piano and double bass. She has earned a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from National Taiwan Normal University, a master’s degree in double bass performance from Taipei National University of Arts and is currently pursuing doctoral degree in Collaborative piano at Arizona State University.
From 2015 to 2020 she was a member of Taipei Symphony Orchestra as a double bass player. As a collaborative pianist and double bass player, she has been playing many concerts all over the world, in countries like Germany, Italy, France, Holland, Poland, Switzerland, Romania, Russia, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. She was also featured in world-famous double bassist Catalin Rotaru’s last three CD albums.