Corey Schutzer

My musical journey has been exciting and unexpected in equal measure. I started by learning the trumpet in a public school music program, after an obsession with the Beatles prompted an earlier attempt to teach myself guitar. Inspiration to pick up the bass came from an influential teacher in the middle school jazz band, and soon after I was playing double bass in the school orchestra.
 
Private lessons with Dennis Masuzzo in high school helped to develop my technique and lead me into the world of classical music, and subsequently I was accepted into the Pre-College division at The Juilliard School. I received both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Juilliard, studying with Albert Laszlo and Timothy Cobb. During my student years, I am grateful to have had performance opportunities around the world including the complete Brandenburg Concertos at Bargemusic, chamber music and gypsy improvisation at the Thy Chamber Music Festival in Denmark, and the orchestras of the Spoleto Festival USA, Schleswig-Holstein, and Aspen Music Festivals.

 

Now as a professional, I regularly perform on both upright and electric bass in a wide variety of orchestral, chamber, solo, jazz, musical theater, and cabaret venues throughout the New York area, including with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, and with the Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival. I have been a sub for many Broadway productions, and have held the bass chair at the Tony-winning Kander/Ebb/Miranda Broadway musical, New York, New York, the revival of Monty Python's Spamalot, and Old Friends, as well as 11 seasons at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, the Off-Broadway revivals of Jonathan Larson's Tick, Tick...Boom!, Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, and the world premiere production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Unmasked at the Paper Mill Playhouse. I have made numerous television appearances and was honored to perform in the Broadway for Biden fundraiser concert, music directed by Alex Lacamoire. I currently hold the bass chair at Ragtime on Broadway at Lincoln Center.

​

I am very lucky to play on a variety of extremely high quality instruments; in particular, a double bass made in 2009 by Barnabás Rácz, bows by Zach Lane and Reid Hudson, and the XJ-1T model electric bass by Xotic Guitars, which I proudly endorse. I use Pirastro strings on my upright basses.