Gary Karr, acclaimed as "the world's leading solo bassist" (Time Magazine), is, in fact, the first solo doublebassist in history to make that pursuit a full-time career. It is a career that adds new lustre to his lustrous 1611 Amati doublebass which was given to him by the widow of Sergei Koussevitzky. Since his debut with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic in 1962, Karr has performed as soloist on six continents. Gary is the proud holder of the 1997 Artist/Teacher of the Year Award from the American String Teacher's Association (ASTA). He also holds the Distinguished Achievement Award (1995) from the International Society of Bassists (ISB). Each summer, starting on the first Monday in July, Gary Karr presides over a four-week intensive course of doublebass playing. It is held on the beautiful campus of the University of Victoria where all participants are housed in single rooms in a luxurious dormitory. In order to give ample focus to all participants, Karr has reduced the number of students to 16. There are no auditions required to enter the course. Players are accepted on a first come, first serve basis. The only requirement is a serious love of the doublebass. In past summers, the participants ranged from beginners to very advanced and from young to old (the youngest age must be 18.