From Jacksonville, North Carolina, El Arnold is a senior in the UNCSA high school program. She began studying viola in sixth grade but switched to the double bass in seventh grade and has stuck to it ever since. El joined the UNCSA bass studio in the 2021-2022 school year and participated in the Winston-Salem Youth Symphony. Over the summer, she was granted the opportunity to study in Ochsenhausen, Germany, for a couple of weeks with Professor Sharpe. When not playing bass, El usually reads, cooks, or listens to all kinds of music.

Sara Nell Chase is a junior double bassist from Asheville, NC. She began playing double bass in sixth grade and, before coming to the UNCSA bass studio, has been primarily self-taught with two notable exceptions: She got her start with the late Eliot Wadopian, Grammy award-winning bassist from Paul Winter Consort and Free Planet Radio; and, beginning in 2021, a year of intensive study under Kevin Kehrberg, chair of Warren Wilson College's Music Department and IBMA award-winner.

In 2019 and 2020, Sara Nell was chosen as first chair bass for both West Region and All-State bands. In 2021, she signed on to play bass with the Carolina Youth Orchestra in Greenville, SC (housed at Furman University), where she was awarded the position of principal bassist. 

Sean Darney is a high school double bassist from Cary, NC. A senior this year, Sean will have a busy spring, auditioning for the finest conservatories and universities in the nation. He has been selected as an NYO-USA member for the summer of 2023. Sean's musical training began early - he started guitar as his first instrument at 2 1/2 years old. In the third grade, he began playing the bass and began private lessons on the instrument in the fourth grade — and never looked back at the guitar. The resonant low sound and the feeling of the vibrations through the instrument are why he chose it.

In eighth grade, he was selected as principal bass of North Carolina's All-State orchestra. While participating in the NC-ASTA orchestra as a middle schooler, he met Paul Sharpe, who shared with him the opportunity of the high school program at UNCSA. Sean's whole high school experience has been a UNCSA one, and he has greatly appreciated the doors that opened for him as a result of his experience here.

Gavin Hardy is a high school double bassist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He began playing the double bass at the age of 12. He started his journey as a string musician playing the violin and cello, but after hearing the double bass's warm, resonant, and powerful sound, he was hooked. During his study with Professor Sharpe, he was selected as the winner of the 2021-22 Harlan Duenow Young Artist Concerto Competition (Ages 12-21). Additionally, he has been accepted into the National Youth Orchestra programs of the United States of America (NYO-USA) and (NYO2). He was also selected as one of ten finalists from around the world (including Turkey, Ecuador, Hungary and the United States) at the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition 2021 (15-18 division). Gavin's goal as a musician is to become the principal double bassist of a major symphony and teach the double bass at a music conservatory.

Zane Hollomon is an undergraduate double bassist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has had the pleasure of studying under some of the finest faculty at UNCSA, learning the intricacies of double bass performance from Paul Sharpe and demystifying the vibrant world of jazz improvisation with Ronald Rudkin. Since 2012, he has enjoyed playing his instrument in many different settings, from classical and jazz to folk and contemporary. He prides himself on his musical diversity. When he's not practicing his scales or learning new symphonies, Zane can be found on stage performing with his blues-rock band Caffeine Daydream or in the studio writing, recording and producing music for films and video games.

Labron Thompson is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a senior in UNCSA's high school program. This is his first year at UNCSA. A member of the Charlotte Symphony's Youth Orchestra for four years, he was also a member of North Carolina's Honors Orchestra (All-State) in 2021. After hearing Labron play through the NYO-USA audition repertoire and learning that he prepared the material without a teacher, Prof. Sharpe invited him to audition for his senior year of high school. Labron credits the Charlotte Youth Symphony's program with giving him a passion for music and the double bass. His other passion is engineering, particularly in aerospace, the field in which he intends to major in college. Attending UNCSA has deepened his love for music and the bass, and it always be part of his life.

Simon Vázquez-Carr is a bassist who has lived in many different places across the United States. He is a junior in high school and has played the bass for five years. Although the bass is his instrument of choice, he explored other instruments well before landing on the bass. He took piano and guitar lessons, sang as a member of the Wilmington (DE) Children's Choir and later played in his school's band, jazz band, choir and chamber choir. He started playing bass in the Kennebec (ME) Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra. He came to UNCSA when his family moved to Durham, North Carolina, and has been studying with Professor Sharpe since his freshman year. His rapid improvement over his first years culminated in his acceptance into the NYO2 orchestra of Carnegie Hall's NYO-USA program. While playing double bass is his passion, he also enjoys chess, video games and spending time with his family.

Emery Wegh started playing the cello in the second grade in the Farmington, CT, public schools and then was offered the chance to switch to the double bass. After having immersed himself totally in orchestral repertoire for several years, his focus shifted, and he soon found himself exploring the world of Bach cello suite transcriptions and double bass concerto repertoire. The experience of performing in the Connecticut All-State Orchestra and Hartford Youth Symphony solidified his passion for the instrument and he decided to pursue music as a career. He attended the Hartt School of Music and studied with contemporary and avant-garde double bassist Robert Black.

After he graduated, he joined the master of music program at UNCSA, studying with Paul Sharpe. He has performed in music festivals throughout Europe and the United States. Currently, he is a Performing Arts Certificate student at UNCSA and is focused on audition repertoire preparation. In the Fall of 2022, he won the assistant principal position with the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, and he continues to play regularly with the Western Piedmont and Winston-Salem Symphony Orchestras. He is a very active private double bass teacher with a large studio of private students and frequent clinics in middle and high schools.

David Wintermute, originally from Durham, North Carolina, began to play bass in his junior year of high school in Guanajuato, Mexico. His objective is to compose — combining elements of neoclassical, Ethno jazz and folk music and blending genres, languages, cultures and borders. David is particularly focused on expression through activism. He believes in music that lets people feel more in touch with each other and their ecosystem —incorporating creative writing, the voice, the bow and the double bass as mediums of protest for environmental and social justice.

Laurel Young is a senior in high school at UNCSA and has been playing bass since sixth grade. She has performed across the state over the past five years and has been a member of multiple youth symphony ensembles since the fall of 2019, including the Charlotte Symphony Youth Philharmonic, the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestra, and the Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestra. Laurel has also participated in various summer programs since 2017 and, in recent years, has attended the 2021 Instrumental Music program at North Carolina Governor's School West and the Brevard Music Center's 2022 High School Orchestra Intensive. Although she really loves learning, she also enjoys teaching and has dedicated her time to instructing privately, along with helping out with middle school classes at the school she used to attend.