Berlin-based double bassist Rebecca Lawrence performs Imaginary Light, a program that combines contemporary and early solo double-bass works using extended techniques and alternative tunings to expose, expand, and illuminate the instrument’s sonic compass.
Rebecca Lawrence grew up in Seattle and, following studies in Los Angeles, Paris, and Frankfurt, moved to Berlin in 2025. Her work with the double bass draws on more than four centuries of musical practice, bringing together historical awareness, contemporary experimentation, and a deep curiosity for sound. Influenced by interests ranging from social movements and feminism to anthropology, ritual, and natural systems, she collaborates closely with leading composers in today’s European music scene. At the same time, a search for simple musical truth and harmony led her to study early music, which evolved into endless experimentation with the sonic possibilities of early instruments in contemporary contexts.
Rebecca is a member of the Berlin based Ensemble Kollektiv, and plays often as as a guest with a wide range of ensembles and orchestras, including Ensemble Modern, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Basel Sinfonietta, the Folkwang Kammerorchestra, Klangforum Wien, Deutsche Kammerorchester Bremen, and others.
In 2026, she’ll record her first solo album with producer Weston Olencki, supported by a grant from the German Orchestra Foundation, exploring the possibilities of contemporary improvised pieces and arrangements on historical instruments.