Nothing bassic about it.

SFCM's classical double bass community rumbled with appreciation in October when Timothy Cobb, Principal Bassist for the New York Philharmonic, visited the Conservatory for a masterclass.

Tim Cobb.

"It is always an honor to have Timothy Cobb, the principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic, join us at SFCM," double bass faculty Scott Pingel says. "His musicianship is absolutely exquisite, and he always works to draw out the finest nuances of musicality from those who play for him."

Pingel described the masterclass as "a great joy of reunion," as he studied with Cobb as a postgraduate. "Watching him work brings back so many fond memories!" he added.

Among the students who played for Cobb was sophomore Riley Collier, performing the sixth section, "Gigue," of Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor.

Tim Cobb and Riley Collier.

"Tim inspired me to approach Bach in a new way," Collier says. "I really enjoyed having someone from the NY Phil here at SFCM visiting the Bass Department, and I also had fun playing with my studio mates!"

Graduate student Colby Heimburger performed a section from Giovanni Bottesini's Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in B minor, one of the most technically challenging pieces in the double bass repertoire.

Tim Cobb and Colby Heimburger.

"Tim offered valuable input on some of my phrasing ideas for the Bottesini and helpful ways to practice," Heimburger says. "I'm really grateful for the opportunity to play for someone with so much orchestral experience and knowledge!"

SFCM's bass department is helmed by Pingel, Principal Bassist of the San Francisco Symphony, and Stephen Tramontozzi, Assistant Principal (Richard & Rhoda Goldman Chair) at SFS. 2025 graduate Alexandria Kelley called SFCM "a hidden gem for double bassists," in 2022, adding, "there are only seven of us in Scott's studio. At a lot of big schools it’s not like that. They’ve got an amazing faculty of double-bassists, but half of them don’t even live in the city."

Learn more about studying double bass at SFCM.