Double Bass
Nico Abondolo is internationally recognized as a leading double bass soloist and chamber musician. He made his debut at age 14 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and in 1983 became the first double bassist ever to win first place in the International Competition for Musical Performers in Geneva, Switzerland. Since then he has appeared with orchestras and in recital throughout the United States and Europe.
Mr. Abondolo regularly performs chamber music at La Jolla SummerFest, the Musik3 Contemporary Music Festival, and the St. Barth's Music Festival. Recent performance highlights include John Adams' Shaker Loops with the composer conducting, Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat under Esa-Pekka Salonen, Schubert's Trout Quintet with the Brentano String Quartet, and Tan Dun's Quintet with the composer conducting. For eight seasons he served as principal bass for San Francisco's Grammy-nominated New Century Chamber Orchestra. He has composed for several New York and West Coast dance companies and performed with them at Jacobs Pillow, the Cunningham Space, and La Mama. In addition, he is principal bassist for many motion picture composers, including John Williams, Thomas Newman, Hans Zimmer, and Alan Silvestri.
Mr. Abondolo teaches double bass at the USC Thornton School of Music. An alumnus of the Music Academy (1987-88), he has been a member of the faculty since 1990.