Scott Pingel is an American

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a Bass (instrument), bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboar ...

who is the principal bassist in the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Fr ...

. He had been the principal bassist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. In 2011 Pingel had the privilege of performing on the acclaimed

Karr-Koussevitzky The ''Karr-Kousevitzky bass'' or ''Amati bass'' is a famous double bass previously belonging to Serge Koussevitzky and Gary Karr. Now generally referred to as the ''Karr-Koussevitzky'' rather than the ''Amati''; until recently, the bass had been ...

bass for his solo debut with Andrei Gorbatenko and the

San Francisco Academy Orchestra The San Francisco Academy Orchestra, founded in 2000, is an American Symphony Orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Mission To preserve, promote, and present the art of orchestral performance as a vital form of human expression. Brief His ...

. Beyond his work with

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, Pingel has also played jazz. His college bandleader said, "Scott could impress a great jazz bassist like

Victor Wooten Victor Lemonte Wooten (born September 11, 1964) is an American bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He has been the bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones since the group's formation in 1988 and a member of the band SMV with two other ...

enough to get him to tutor him over a speaker phone and then turn around and win an orchestral performance fellowship at one of the country’s most prestigious music schools." In fact, Pingel had played with Jazz greats

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

and

Geoff Keezer Geoffrey Keezer (born November 20, 1970) is an American jazz pianist. Keezer was playing in jazz clubs as a teenager, playing piano for Art Blakey at age 18 and touring with Joshua Redman, Benny Golson and Ray Brown in his 20s. He has toured wi ...

before becoming a strictly classical musician. Pingel was educated at the

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

where he received his Bachelor of Music degree. He received a Master's Degree in

orchestral An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...

performance and a professional studies certificate from the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

on a full

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

. On September 6 and 8, 2019, as part of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and alongside heavy metal icons

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

, Pingel participated in the inaugural concert at the newly-opened

Chase Center Chase Center is an indoor arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The building is the home venue for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and occasionally for the University of San ...

, home to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. The concert, entitle
S&M²
was a 20th anniversary celebration of the first time the two musical acts combined talents back in 1999, under the direction of the late

Michael Kamen Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician. Biography Early life Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...

. Pinge
stunned the audience on both nights of the historic show
with a thrilling solo tribute (joined toward the end by Metallica drummer,

Lars Ulrich Lars Ulrich (; ; born 26 December 1963) is a Danish musician best known as the drummer and co-founder of American heavy metal band Metallica. The son and grandson respectively of tennis players Torben and Einer Ulrich, he played tennis in his ...

) to Metallica's late and beloved bass player,

Cliff Burton Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician who was the bassist for heavy metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. He performed on ''Kill 'Em All'' (1983), '' Ride the Lightning'' (1984 ...

. Pingel was familiar with Burton's style
His older brother was a "big fan" of Metallica
that often played Burton's signature solo "Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth)," from the band's debut album,

Kill 'Em All ''Kill 'Em All'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los Angeles. They recorded several ...

. Pingel actually pitched the idea to the band, saying, "I ran through it and they loved it, so I knew I was in the sho
at that point.
�� Drummer Lars Ulric
said of the composition
"To me, what Scott is doing is the ultimate tribute."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pingel, Scott Living people American classical double-bassists Male double-bassists University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni Manhattan School of Music alumni University of Michigan faculty 21st-century double-bassists 21st-century American male musicians Year of birth missing (living people)