Michael Hill
Adjunct Professor of Music, Double Bass
Michael Hill is one of the most sought-after orchestral bass players and teachers in the Southeastern U.S. As a performer, he currently holds the position of Principal Bass of the Orlando Philharmonic as well as performing with the Naples Philharmonic and the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina.
- Curtis Institute of Music at Philadelphia
Biography
Michael Hill is one of the most sought-after orchestral bass players and teachers in the Southeastern U.S. As a performer, he currently holds the position of Principal Bass of the Orlando Philharmonic as well as performing with the Naples Philharmonic and the Charleston Symphony in South Carolina. As a teacher, Hill is on staff at Florida Southern College, Rollins College, Stetson University and the University of Central Florida. He is sponsored by Solano Basses and endorsed by D'Addario Strings.
As a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Hill won his first international orchestral audition to join the Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y Leon in Valladolid, Spain, two days before graduation. In 1994, he won his second international audition for a position as Acting and Co-Principal Bass of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia.
As a college student and a professional musician, Hill has performed in New York's Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., as well as France, Germany, Austria, Spain and Italy. He has also recorded with soloists such as Placido Domingo, Felix Ayo and Maria Bayo. In 1996 he won the Principal Bass position of the Orlando Philharmonic. In 1999 he won a position as Assistant Principal Bass of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, N.C., which he held until 2002.
Recently Hill and his wife, Dawn Marie, established a summer residence at the Chamber Music Festival in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Their mission is to bring the best chamber music and educational program to the community of the Black Hills.
Two contemporary concertos have been written specifically for Hill by award-winning composers Charles Threatte and Robert Kerr. The world premier of Charles Threatte's composition was February 20, 2005 with the Florida Southern College Orchestra. Robert Kerr's concerto was performed during the 2007-2008 season with the Black Hills Symphony Orchestra in Rapid City, S.D.