George Speed began his career with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic in 2004 as a substitute bass player but was selected as principal bass in 2006....

George Speed began his career with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic in 2004 as a substitute bass player but was selected as principal bass in 2006. He began playing bass because of an outstanding string program at his school back in Spartanburg, South Carolina. His main musical influences are Edgar Meyer, bass soloist and his professor at Vanderbilt, where he received a bachelor of music in Bass Performance and European History, and Edwin Barker, Principal Bassist of the Boston Symphony and his professor at Boston University, where he received a master of music degree. In addition to the OKC Phil, Speed has played with the Boston Pops Orchestra, where he performed during the pregame show at Super Bowl XXXVI, the Boston Symphony, Boston Classical Orchestra, New England String Ensemble, Fort Worth Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and former Florida Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also an Assistant Professor of Double Bass at Oklahoma State University. On the present release, Speed presents Vivaldi Cello Sonatas. He has studied these works for many years, and it shows fully in these idiomatic performances.