‘Mr. Bass Man’
South Fayette senior enjoying marvelous musical journey
A South Fayette High School senior will spend part of his summer pursuing his passion for music while performing for audiences throughout Asia.
CJ Inkenhaus will be part of the 2025 National Youth Orchestra, which will tour Asia from July 5 to Aug. 7, and feature about 100 musicians from around the country.
“They take a full orchestra from around the country,” Inkenhaus said. “It is very selective. This is the third time I tried out for it. We’re going to perform at Carnegie Hall, and we’re going to go around the world to Asia, and we’ll be performing in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Hong Kong.”
Inkenhaus plays a half-dozen instruments, ranging from bass to tuba to trombone. He recently participated in the Pennsylvania Music Education Association All-State Chorus Festival and performed with the National Association for Music Education Eastern Division Honors Orchestra in Hartford, Conn., as principal bass, auditioning among 11 bassists and placing first.
The 18-year-old’s first exposure to instruments came as a third grader at South Fayette Intermediate School, when he discovered the double-bass, the largest chordophone in the modern symphony orchestra.
“I became enriched in the life of music in the third grade when I tried the double bass for the first time because I wanted to try out the biggest instrument that was available to me,” Inkenhaus recalled. “It was love at first sight. As I did more with music, I loved it more and more and have become more deeply enriched with the life I have. It’s like playing chocolate. It’s just so warm and rich when you’re playing it.”
The bass is a good match for the 6-foot-3-inch Inkenhaus, given the full-size bass is the same height from scroll to endpin. Inkenhaus typically plays the more common three-quarter size, which is just shy of 6 feet tall.
“I use an endpin at the bottom that raises it up a little bit, so it’s always taller than me, no matter where it is,” Inkenhaus said. “It’s been pretty easy to play it but carrying it around is a different story because you have to use all of the wheelchair-accessible things. Going upstairs is the hardest thing ever.”
Along with the double bass, Inkenhaus plays electric bass, tuba, euphonium and trombone, and is learning how to play the piano.
In fourth grade, Inkenaus picked up the euphonium (also known as the tenor tuba), but it didn’t hold his interest for long, and he returned his focus to the bass.
He hopes to turn his love for the double bass into a career, as he aspires to be a classical musician in a symphony orchestra. Inkenhaus is leaning toward attending Indiana University-Bloomington to major in double bass performance.
Eryn Carranza, director of bands South Fayette High School and Intermediate School, has known since he was in the fourth grade.
“The level of passion CJ has for creating music is seldom seen in musicians of his age,” she said. “He has always performed with artistry that is well beyond his years. It is not only a testament to his remarkable work ethic, but also an expression of his humanity. In a day and age where instant gratification has become the norm, it is inspiring to watch a young man take such pride in the creative process.”
Inkenhaus has also excelled academically, taking college-in-high school courses.
At South Fayette, he is a member of “The Little Green Machine” marching band, wind ensemble and vocal point choir. He was one of only two student musicians in the pit at the high school’s recent musical, “Mamma Mia!”
Inkenhaus also has had the opportunity to take classes in orchestra literature and repertoire at Duquesne University and perform with the university’s symphony.
“It’s really cool to perform with such high musicians at such a young age,” Inkenhaus said.