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 such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

who is the principal bassist in the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, 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, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...

. He had been the principal bassist with the

Charleston Symphony Orchestra The Charleston Symphony Orchestra aka CSO, is an American orchestra based in Charleston, South Carolina, and performs Masterworks and Pops series, Youth Orchestra concerts and more, at the Gaillard Center and dozens of other venues across the Low ...

. In 2011 Pingel had the privilege of performing on the acclaimed Karr-Koussevitzky bass for his solo debut with Andrei Gorbatenko and the San Francisco Academy Orchestra. Beyond his work with

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

, 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 a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

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

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

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: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...

performance and a professional studies certificate from the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

on a full

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

Metallica: ''S&M2''

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. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and 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. It is the home of the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Golden State Valkyries of the Women's National Basketball A ...

, 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 Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. 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, record producer and musician. Early life Michael Arnold Kamen was born in ...

. Pingel 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 who is the drummer and a founding member of American heavy metal band Metallica. Along with James Hetfield, Ulrich has songwriting credits on almost all of the band's songs, and the ...

) to Metallica's late and beloved bass player,

Cliff Burton Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician who served as the bassist for the thrash metal band Metallica from 1982 until his death in 1986. He is renowned for his musicianship and influence. Burton ...

. 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 the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. After forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los A ...

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

References

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