International Society of Bassists awards inaugural Al Fisher Scholarship Grant

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US double bassist Broner McCoy from Evanston, Illinois, is the first-ever recipient of the International Society of Bassists’ Al Fisher Scholarship Grant, receiving $5,000.

The grant is made possible by a bequest from the estate of longtime International Society of Bassists member Al Fisher, who was both a professional double bassist as well as a patent-holding inventor and automotive industry executive. He performed with the Evanston Symphony Orchestras and gave recitals across the US, including a solo recital at Carnegie Hall in 1973.

McCoy is a first-year graduate student currently studying at the Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music with Andrew Raciti. In addition to playing the bass, McCoy is an aspiring bass bow maker, who has made twelve bows to date and intends to use the grant to further his career as a maker.

‘I believe finding ethically sourced materials for bow making is very important, from finding quality, legal pernambuco, to horse hair sourced from farms that take care of their animals,’ said McCoy. ‘The Al Fisher grant will not only help me purchase supplies, tools, and instruction from my bow making teacher George Rubino, but will also allow me to continue providing accessibly priced rehairs and handmade bows to other students in my community.’

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