"The string contributions [were] dominated by bassist Scott Pingel… He played with absolute lack of pretense and an outlandish sense of glee that left Mozart's charming, much-loved trifle purring with delight. The audience must have gone crazy." —Strings Magazine
COURSES TAUGHT
- Applied Lessons
- Double Bass Class
EDUCATION
- MM, Manhattan School of Music
- BM, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
ENSEMBLES
- San Francisco Symphony, Principal, 2004–Present
- Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS
- Principal, San Francisco Symphony
- Principal, Charleston Symphony Orchestra
What is your hometown?
Madison, WI
What are you passionate about outside of music?
Psychology, philosophy, kinesiology, visual arts, and martial arts.
Who were your major teachers?
James Clute, Peter Lloyd, and Timothy Cobb.
What question do you wish students would ask sooner rather than later?
“Is it Beautiful?”
What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?
When I got my first double bass at age 17.
What was a turning point in your career?
When I realized that technique is not magic.
If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?
Studying art.
What is your daily practice routine?
Scales and technical exercises, then repertoire I'm performing, then other works of interest—always with my notebook handy.
If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?
Bach. And choosing the others is like picking which family member I could live without for the rest of my life.
From a music history perspective, what year and city are most important to you?
1685, Eisenach.
What recordings can we hear you on?
Mason Bates: Works for Orchestra, SFS Media
Gubaidulina: The Complete Works for Guitar, Naxos
Schubert: Quintet in A Major, "Die Forelle", Music@Menlo Live
Beethoven: Septet in E-flat Major, Music@Menlo Live
Mozart: Serenade in D Major, Serenata notturna, Music@Menlo Live
Other Media
