Alexander Hanna, double bass
Alexander Hanna was appointed Principal Bass of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Riccardo Muti in 2012. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Hanna is recognized as one of the finest musicians of his generation. Prior to joining the Chicago Symphony he served as Principal Bass of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Hanna has performed as soloist, chamber musician, teacher and orchestral musician throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. His passion for chamber music has led to collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Mitsuko Uchida and Dawn Upshaw among many others. In 2015 Hanna was featured as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of James Conlon. Hanna is also devoted to new music and makes frequent appearances on the Chicago Symphony’s Music NOW series. He serves on the faculty of DePaul University and coaches the bass section of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He has taught master classes at many important institutions including the Cleveland Institute of Music, Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University, the National Youth Orchestra (USA) and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. His primary teachers have included Harold Robinson, Edgar Meyer and Scott Haigh.