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1139: Building The Sub Pool with Thomas Zera episode artwork

Apr 2, 2026 23 min

1139: Building The Sub Pool with Thomas Zera

from Contrabass Conversations

Bassist and arts administrator Thomas Zera joins us today to share what changed between our first chat years ago and now, including life in the Utah Symphony and the path that led to building his new project, The Sub Pool. We dig into what The Sub Pool is, why orchestra sub lists so often "run dry," and how a centralized, musician-friendly platform can help personnel managers find the right players, including for rarer instruments and big-repertoire needs. Tom also explains how the service is designed to be low-friction for musicians, what feedback has shaped the early feature set (including faster notifications), and what they're building toward next. Learn more at The Sub Pool, reach Tom at [email protected], and check out his past podcast appearance here. Connect with DBHQ Join Our Newsletter Double Bass Resources Double Bass Sheet Music Double Bass Merch Gear used to record this podcast Zoom H6 studio 8-Track 32-Bit Float Handy Recorder Rode Podmic Sony Alpha 7 IV Full-frame Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens When you buy a product using a link on this page, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting DBHQ. Theme music by Eric Hochberg

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1139: Building The Sub Pool with Thomas Zera

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