Programs

"DOBBS" has captivated audiences all around the world with his
ONE MAN SHOW. Richard "Dobbs" Hartshorne is an
internationally renown double bass virtuoso, storyteller, and
composer.

This intimate performance with an artist allows the audience to
make contact with a creative human being. He begins with one of
J.S. Bach’s Six Suites a Violoncello Solo. This music is intimate
and approachable, with its own story. The pace of the Suite
allows the listener; adults, children, prison inmates time to
reflect, enjoy the magnificent power and resonance of the double
bass, and to appreciate the sheer virtuosity required to play the
Suite as written for the much smaller and differently tuned 'cello.
In a lifetime of practice Dobbs has overcome the immense
difficulty of performing the Suites on the double bass, yielding an
acoustical experience that rivals the musical excellence of the
pieces as heard in performance on the 'cello by Casals. The story
telling recalls evenings around a campfire or on a grandparents’
knee. It is an archetypal medium, out of reach of TV, video,
recording, even books read aloud. Dobbs’s voice and presence
creates a new world, accompanied by the surprising beauty of
the double bass. We discover tales from his life and travels mixed
with his astounding imagination, and are alternately touched and
compelled to laugh out loud. It can be hard to conjure without
having heard him, and hard to explain; but, among those who
know his work, Dobbs has a kind of cult status.

In addition, Dobbs shares with his audience his experiences
playing in prisons, refugee camps in Palestine, orphanages in
Afghanistan, and his life playing for under-served audiences
wherever he finds them.

International Concerts:
Palestine
Afghanistan