Vienna Teen Wins Division At International Bass Competition

VIENNA, VA — A Vienna teen topped the musicians in his age group to win the 14 and under division at the International Society of Bassists' double bass competition

Joshua Thrush, 14, won first place in the division at the 2021 competition. The biennial International Society of Bassists competition is the premier double bass gathering drawing competitors from countries all over the world. The competition was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Competitors had to perform a required piece and use the remainder of 15 minutes to perform a diverse program. Thrush played Capriccio from David’s Anderson’s Four Short Pieces, the Allemande from Bach’s First Cello Suite, and the first movement of the Dittersdorf Bass Concerto. Scroll down to the end of the story to see the full video.

Thrush, who just finished eighth grade at Luther Jackson Middle School and will attend James Madison High School in the fall, has been playing bass for nearly five years and has a variety of musical accomplishments. According to his mother Cindy Thrush, he began private lessons with Ira Gold of the National Symphony Orchestra in fall 2016 after previously playing clarinet, saxophone, and briefly, the cello. He is a Youth Fellow with the National Symphony Orchestra and a member of the American Youth Symphonic Orchestra, a division of the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras program.

In 2021, he also won the American Youth Symphonic Orchestra Solo Competition as well as the Rockville Music Competition Intermediate Strings division and was chosen as a Bass Alternate for the National Youth Orchestra 2. In 2020, he achieved the title of Principal Bass of Northern Virginia’s Junior District X Honors Orchestra and was accepted into the Fairfax Symphony’s All-Stars Youth Orchestra program. He performed the first movement of the Dragonetti Concerto in a recital at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC as part of winning the Aspiring category and the Misbin Family New Talent Award in the 2019 Joseph and Goldie Feder Memorial String Competition. He also won the highest score in the Junior Division of the George Mason Academy Honors Recital in 2019.

Thrush has performed in master classes for Paul Ellison and Francois Rabbath and has attended workshops such as ISB Young Bassists, KC Bass, and Bass Works. This summer, he plans to attend the 2021 ISB Young Bassists as well as play with the Birch Creek Symphony in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin and in the National Philharmonic Summer Strings program.

Aside from playing the bass, Thrush enjoys boating, fishing, and discussing the stock market. He looks forward to starting high school in the fall and having more opportunities to work on his double bass skills.

As the first prize winner in the 14 and under division at the international competition, Thrush won a prize of $500. See a video of his performance below.