Scott Pingel

Scott Pingel
is the newly appointed principal bassist of the San Francisco Symphony, and the former principal bassist of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, two years with the New World Symphony, and served as guest principal of the National Arts Center Orchestra in Canada. Additionally, he has participated in the Bellingham,Tanglewood, Spoleto, Verbier, and Salzburg festivals. Outside of classical music, Mr. Pingel has worked with jazz greats such as Michael Brecker, Geoff Keezer and the late James Williams, performed with pop icon Madonna, and played in an opening act for Tito Puente.

It all began back in Madison, WI at about the age of seventeen when Scott, the youngest child of Jack and Carole Pingel, two music teachers, was drawn to the electric-bass and the double-bass out of a strong interest in Latin, jazz, and classical music. At the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he studied with James Clute of the Minnesota Orchestra, he was heavily involved in both jazz and classical studies. After graduation in 1996 he continued his studies privately with Peter Lloyd, principal bassist of the Minnesota Orchestra, while performing throughout the Midwest both as a free-lance musician and as a member of the Latin/jazz/funk band, Urban World. In 1997 he moved to New York to study with Timothy Cobb, principal bassist of the Metropolitan Opera, on a fellowship at the Manhattan School of Music, and received a Master's Degree in Orchestral Performance in 1999. In addition to music, Mr. Pingel spent many years studying the ancient Korean martial art of Hwa Rang Do, in which he holds a black-belt. He was an instructor at the Madison Academy of Hwa Rang Do and founded the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Hwa Rang Do/Tae Soo Do program, which continues to
this day. Mr. Pingel lives in San Francisco with his loving wife, Iris, and his very silly cat, Zoe.