About Us
Double Basses
| Hiroshi Ikematsu | Principal |
| Victoria Jones | Sub Principal |
| Nicholas Sandle | Assistant Sub Principal |
| Matthew Cave | |
| Stephen Gibbs | |
| Oleksandr Gunchenko | |
| Malcolm Struthers | |
| Steve Taylor |
HIROSHI IKEMATSU
Principal
Brazilian-born Japanese Hiroshi has gained his fame through a variety of music activities. He is uniquely talented and regarded as one of the leading contrabassists in Japan.
Hiroshi started to play the contrabass at the age of 19, learning from Shunsaku Tsutsumi. During his university years at the Toho Gakuen College, he regularly attended workshops and festivals by Gary Karr, the world’s leading solo bassist and teacher based in Canada. In 1989 Hiroshi joined the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, and he became Principal Contrabassist there in 1994.
Hiroshi has established a strong name as a solo contrabassist in Japan. He has played with numerous distinguished musicians, and successfully released three solo CDs nationwide. He has also led a string ensemble, Vega, as well as founding a contrabass ensemble, and was the core member of a group called Pleiade Quintet, well known for its performance of contemporary music. He has taught at Kunitachi College of Music as well as the Toho Gakuen College in Tokyo.
Hiroshi immigrated to New Zealand with his family, officially joining the NZSO as the Principal Contrabassist in April 2006. New Zealand is the perfect place for him to indulge his interests of trout fishing, camping, soccer and spending time with his two children.
VICTORIA JONES
Sub Principal
Victoria was born in Christchurch in May 1953, to a musical mother and allegedly tone-deaf father. She graduated BA/BMus from VUW, majoring in French, German and Cello Performance where she was taught by Wilfred Simenauer and Allan Chisholm. A member of the training orchestra Schola Musica before joining the NZSO bass section in 1979, she was appointed to her current role as Sub-Principal Bass in 1993. During this time she studied with David Walter in New York and in the late 1980s gained a bursary to study in Germany with Wolfgang Guettler. Since 1995 Victoria regularly attends the biennial International Society of Bassists conventions in the USA, and has attended summer courses with Francois Rabbath, Jeff Bradetich, and Gary Karr. Victoria has taught at VUW (NZSM) for many years, and also enjoys teaching younger students, and playing in chamber ensembles. She is the co-founder of the biennial Martinborough Bass Camp.
Victoria plays a five-string ‘Amazon’ bass (Brazil, 2003), by Alberto Viegas Mattos.
Her hobbies include playing the piano, French lessons, yoga, jogging, cycling, online scrabble, reading, and eating great meals cooked by her husband Ed
Allen.
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NICHOLAS SANDLE
Assistant Sub Principal
MATTHEW CAVE
Matthew was born in Auckland and went on to complete his Bachelor of Music at Auckland University. He began freelancing with the Auckland Philharmonia whilst studying and went on to do a further year around the country before heading overseas. Gaining a Masters at the Manhattan School of Music under the tuition of the principal bass of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra provided an opportunity to perform in New York, including a concert as principal bass in Carnegie Hall performing the John Rutter Requiem under the baton of the composer. In 2001 Matthew performed in the Verbier Festival Orchestra with James Levine as Music Director. After a residency in Switzerland they toured across the Americas from Canada to Buenos Aires. Returning to New Zealand Matthew joined the NZSO in 2002. Aside from music, Matthew has a keen interest in more practical pursuits such as home renovations and cooking.
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STEPHEN GIBBS
Stephen started his musical career in his birthplace, England. He was taught the double bass at secondary school level, going on to train at Kneller Hall before joining the Grenadier Guards Military Band. In London, he took the opportunity to further his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and also gained an Associateship of the Royal College of Music for teaching the double bass. Stephen immigrated to New Zealand in 1974, and joined the NZSO. He has also been a wood carver for many years, winning the NZ Carver of the Year in 1981, before embarking on violin bow making in 1996. In 1999, a Montana Study Award enabled him to visit some of the top bow makers in Europe.
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OLEKSANDR GUNCHENKO
MALCOLM STRUTHERS
Born and raised in Southland, Malcolm’s association with the NZSO began in 1985 when as a naive 18-year-old, he joined the NZSO trainee scheme, the ‘Schola Musica’ as a Double Bass student. After three years of study he left to take on the world but only made it as far as Auckland where he joined the Auckland Philharmonia. He re-joined the NZSO in 1996 as a fully fledged member of the orchestra. Malcolm has many interests, including knocking things together in his shed. He has built a wooden kayak and designed a set of carbon fibre double bass cases for the orchestra to use when touring. A keen sportsman, he has gained his second degree black belt in Seido Karate. A favourite activity though, would have to be spending an evening at home with his wife Rebecca, enjoying her wonderful cooking with a nice bottle of Central Otago Pinot! Malcolm also plays in the group Salut d’Amour www.salutdamour.co.nz
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STEVE TAYLOR
