Scott Pingel

Double bassist Scott Pingel has had a multi-faceted career as a musician, multi-genre collaborator, and educator.   He began playing the bass at age 17 out of a love for jazz, Latin, and classical music, and became the principal bass of the San Francisco Symphony in 2004 at age 29.  He has appeared as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony Orchestra and the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and has been a featured recitalist at the International Society of Bassists Convention.  As a chamber musician, he has performed numerous times with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, collaborated with leading string quartets such as the Takacs, Miro, and Pacifica quartets, and is a regular at the Music@Menlo and Music in the Vineyards festivals.  Versatile in a variety of styles of music, Pingel has performed in jazz clubs from New York to Stockholm, worked with jazz greats including Michael Brecker, Tamir Hendelman, Geoff Keezer, and James Williams, performed in trio at the Grand Ole Opry with the legendary singer, Jubilant Sykes, and his solo performances with the iconic heavy metal band, Metallica, were seen by millions worldwide and hailed as “show stopping” by Rolling Stone.  Devoted to music eduction and pedagogy, Pingel is currently a faculty member of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Music Academy of the West, and has taught masterclasses in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe.  Former students have won prestigious international solo competitions and gained employment with major symphony orchestras and conservatories.