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Peter Paulsen
Instructor — Double Bass

Room 244, Swope Music Building
Phone: 610-436-2547
ppaulsen@wcupa.edu
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Education
M.M., Temple University
B.M., West Chester University

Thoughts on SOM

I believe that the ongoing diligence, interaction and collaboration of the School of Music faculty has a contagious and inspiring affect on the student body here at WCU and, in turn, the many opportunities created for the students to hone their craft and creatively express themselves places a renewed importance on our responsibility to keep growing as performers, teachers, mentors and citizens.

Mission at SOM

The double bass studio at WCU is committed to each student's development and growth toward reaching their fullest potential of performance success. My goals as a teacher are building character and a reliable work ethic in order to gain command of the instrument in any musical situation, to ultimately nurture a keen sense of personal assessment making each student a better teacher of themselves.

Curriculum Vitae

Peter Paulsen was a student of Dr. Irving Cohen at West Chester University and a recipient of the Rob Simon Memorial award. He went on to study with Homer Mensch of the Juilliard School and graduate studies at Temple University with Michael Shahan of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Paulsen is an active member of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, principal bass of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra and has been principal bass with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Spoleto, Italy, the Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra and Pennsylvania Symphonia. He is also busy as a free-lance jazz bassist in the tri-state area and performs regularly with his own trio as well as many of Philadelphia’s top jazz performers.

Mr. Paulsen's first CD release, Peter Paulsen Quintet "Three-Stranded Cord", on R&L Records, received international press and national airplay, as well as the recent Peter Paulsen Trio release, "Tri-cycle". He has also recorded with the MPH Trio, "Curves", on GPC Recordings, and the Jeff Baumeister Quartet, "Useful Music".

Mr. Paulsen is very committed to the education of young, up-coming musicians and has participated in master classes with François Rabbath, Hal Robinson, Mark Morton, Donald Palma and as clinician with Jimmy Knepper, George Young, Clark Terry, Dennis DiBlasio, Valery Ponamerov and Ed Soph. He is a member of the International Society of Bassists and an active composer of works for his instrument, receiving a prestigious Pennsylvania Council of the Arts composition grant and a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. Mr. Paulsen and his wife, mezzo-soprano Charlotte Paulsen continue to commission, premier, and record many new works for the unusual combination of double bass and voice.

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