<p>Who, in your opinion, is the greatest (or top 3) people alive playing your instrument or singing your voice-type? i.e. Who are your role models? </p>
<p>I obviously don't know and haven't heard everyone who plays bass, but from my experience: </p>
<p>for Orchestra, I think the top 3 bassists alive now are:
1) Tim Cobb
2) Ed Barker
3) Ali Yazdanfar </p>
<p>for Solo, I think the top 3 are:
1) Daxun Zhang
2) Edgar Meyer
3) Ed Barker or Joel Quarrington </p>
<p>for Teaching, I think the top 5 are:
1) Tim Cobb
2) Paul Ellison
3) Ed Barker
4) Peter Lloyd
5) Bruce Bransby</p>
<p>You've got an impressive list there, Cosmos, but I would have to find room for Hal Robinson among the teachers, given the number of students of his who are either in orchestral jobs or teaching at colleges. I would also put him in the top 3 for orchestral players, but that may be my preference for Philadelphia-style string playing showing. I spent a lot of time way up in the cheap seats at the old Academy of Music in the Ormandy days. Hal was not there then, but that became my reference for what a string section sounds like when I was in my teens.</p>
<p>Among bass-baritones, which is what I sing, I have always admired the diction and delivery of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the range and musicianship of David Thomas, the versatility of Sam Ramey and the sonority of Bryn Terfel.</p>
<p>Orchestral:
Ricardo Morales
Mark Nuccio
Todd Levy</p>
<p>Solo:
Sabine Meyer
Richard Stoltzman
Stanley Drucker (even though he has played in the NY Phil for almost 60 years, I hear his sound as that of a soloist)</p>
<p>Teaching:
Yehuda Gilad
Mark Nuccio
Frank Cohen</p>
<p>(note - 'schools' of clarinet playing definitely exist between different nations and regions of the world. Even though I am currently living in Europe, I received my instrumental training in the states, and my list was very American-centric, as that's the community I am most capable of judging.)</p>
<p>Before this thread gets UGLY, I wanted to point out that in my area of "expertise" - violin - discussing who's the BEST teacher, player, performer etc. can get very contentious. There will be many informed and "correct" opinoins - perhaps as many as there are students, young players and listeners. I suspect that's true for other instruments as well.</p>
<p>My answer is simply the best violin teacher is the person who inspires the individual student to their highest level of effort and achievement and the best soloist and orchestral performers are those who touch the listener by their performances. In other words, there are many "bests" that most of us can learn from and appreciate.</p>
<p>Maybe we should leave off teachers for the reason fiddle pointed out. It's interesting though to see who people think are the best teachers around regardless of where they teach. </p>
<p>Yeah, I was thinking about Hal when I was making my list, but I don't have any experience with him so that's why I left him off... but I'm sure he's great! The teachers who immediately came to mind for me are those who I really think are 100% dedicated to teaching - I have no idea how Hal feels, but I've never talked to him in my life or even seen the Philly Orchestra play, so I can't make much of a judgement about where he stands.</p>
<p>I agree that the best teacher for one student can be the worst for another. While still in high school, my son had a life-changing experience with a teacher who is a recognized musician, but is completely unknown as a teacher. I doubt he'll ever have anyone more inspiring and helpful to him. This after studying with a well-known teacher with many gifted students and hitting a wall.</p>
<p>I play the piano, but would prefer not to opine on pianists - I'm very, very picky.</p>
<p>My son plays violin and I've become a total afficionado. I find that my favorite violinist is usually the one who moved me most recently. The list is constantly changing and adjusting especially since one might play my favorite Bach, another my favorite Brahms, etc. And, there are so many great ones, it would be difficult to pick only three.</p>
<p>I love:
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Maxim Vengerov
Sergei Khachatryan
Itzakh Perlman
Pinchas Zuckerman
Leonidas Kavakos</p>
<p>On a different day I would have included Gil Shaham, perhaps Hillary Hahn, Vadim Repim and no doubt others I'm forgetting right now.</p>
<p>That reminds me of a National Flute Association convention I once attended with my wife. Someone used the word flautist while introducing Galway, who immediately interrupted with, "Sir, I am a flute player, not a flautist. I don't own a flaut, and I've never flauted." That line got lots of applause, so apparently there are a fair number of flute players who do not like that term. If you should ever have the honor of introducing him, be careful about which f-words you use.</p>
<p>By the way, if we are talking about favorite players of that instrument, I would add a pair of Williams to the list - Kincaid and Bennett - and Michel Debost. If you are going for an all-time list, don't forget the prior generation with names like Marcel Moyse and Georges Barrere</p>
<p>We have seen flautist used just as much as flutist. As for me, I interchange them so much that I was not aware of the term I had used! I have read about the comment that Galway has said. I believe the term flautist is a newer reference than flutist. Anyway, we loving refer to our d as a "fluter"!! I am sure that could raise an eyebrow or two. I guess we should keep that term of endearment at home!! ;)
Yes, Debost is truly amazing, especially at teaching. I went by whose recording my d tends to look for when she is studying a piece. Rampal usually tops her list, but I know it is truly subjective! As stated, "I agree that the best teacher for one student can be the worst for another". I think that holds true for who you like to listen to!!</p>
<p>I actually had an "argument" with my World Cultures teacher my junior year of high school about flutist vs flautist. I did some research and discovered that flautist is used more in Europe because it come from the (I believe) German word for flute, "flaut". Flutist is used mostly in America now according to Merriam Webster. I just thought that was kind of interesting!! I have that James Galway quote on my dorm room door. =)</p>
<p>Actually, the German word for flute is Flöte, or Querflöte if you wish to unambiguously specify the transverse (i.e. side-blown) flute. While the Italian word flauto now means transverse flute, it was once used to mean any type of flute, and for a time came to mean only the end-blown variety (i.e. what we now call a recorder) but not the transverse. The only language I know of that uses the word flaut to mean what we call a flute is Romanian.</p>