In early 2024, I began a project arranging duet versions of standard excerpts for use in my audition preparation. These “excerpts in context” are written with the top line as the excerpt and the bottom line as the melody (or what you should be listening for while playing the excerpts). Often in school, we do not get the opportunity to perform the repertoire on audition lists. Arranging these pieces as duets (with the exception of a few trios) offers an accessible opportunity to play pieces without having to assemble an orchestra. My goal ultimately was for this project to be a fun way to learn excerpts further, either casually with friends who have extra time during orchestra breaks, or as a teaching tool to help students deeply engage with the excerpts. These accessible arrangements make it easy to switch parts to really immerse yourself in the music.

What I have found is that after playing these duets, my comfort with the excerpts increased dramatically. Instead of having an inner critic running amok while performing, my head is so full of the actual music to play along with that the critic doesn’t get a chance to speak at all! When I play these duets with my students, they experience similar results, and often their sense of time and intonation improve.

I have decided to release these arrangements for free in honor of one of my greatest role models in bass and life, Betsy Heston. She showed me how much joy and love can come from a lifetime of playing music, and without her influence I would not be where I am today. I hope those who play these duets can experience the magic that musical collaboration held for Betsy, and continues to hold for myself and many others.

This is an ongoing project for me and I am open to suggestions of pieces that would work well. I have written the parts directly from the score; any personal changes are to the performers’ discretion. I know some of these arrangements don’t translate as well as others, but I feel that all of them are worth trying. If you wish to support me in this project, please consider donating below. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!