Venezuelan Double Bass Player Here This Summer
Luis Arturo Celis Avila, a double bass player from Venezuela, sees music as an agent for social improvement. The 21-year-old came to the Round Top Festival Institute this summer after graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston with training in jazz composition and double bass performance.
Luis came up through the Venezuelan National music program “El Sistema.”
“It teaches good human qualities, human values, through music,” he said.
The program offers free instruments and training in classical music to poor children throughout the country.
His father is a musician, and Luis started lessons at age 4. Luis began his musical training on the classical guitar.
“But (guitar) isn’t really used in the orchestra a lot,” he said. “So I asked myself, ‘What can I play that’s in the orchestra, where I can play concerts in big halls and tour the world but also play jazz gigs?’ It could be trumpet or bass, and I picked bass.”
He started playing the double bass around age 16.
“Through hard work and love,” he said, Luis parlayed his burgeoning musical talents into a full scholarship to Berklee. After the Festival season ends in Round Top, Luis plans to move to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he has accepted a fellowship with the Cincinnati Symphony. He will also enter the graduate school program at the Cincinnati Conservatory, where he will study I’m under the Symphony’s principal bassist, Owen Lee.
Round Top Festival Institute accepted him last year, but COVID forced the cancellation of the 2020 summer festival. Luis thanked the Institute for inviting him back this year.
“I’m so happy to be here,” he said. “Everyone has the same goals and ambitions. Everyone is very disciplined and the orchestra sounds great.”
When the Record spoke with Luis last Tuesday, the orchestra had just finished their annual concert for young people.
“I love playing for children and getting them excited about music,” he said.
Luis said he will take away some new inspiration from this year’s Summer Festival in Round Top.
“Just being surrounded by people who are very disciplined, passionate and driven - just being surrounded by that is very inspiring.”