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String Bass
BFA 358, 931-372-3161
sbenne@tntech.edu

Steve Benne is currently principal double bassist with the Knoxville Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Before coming to Knoxville, he performed across the United States and Europe as the principal double bassist for the New American Chamber Orchestra (NACO), based first in Detroit and then in Granada, Spain.

With NACO, Steve performed at many major European music festivals, including the Grec Festival (Barcelona), the Korsholm Music Festival (Vassa, Finland), the Priory of Chirens Chamber Music Festival (near Voiron, France), and the Uppsala Festival (Uppsala, Sweden), as well as performing at the Philharmonic Hall in Berlin and Salle Pleyel in Paris.

In the U.S., Steve has performed with the Florida International Festival, the L.A. Philharmonic Institute, the Aspen Music Festival, the Grand Teton Music Festival, and the Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC). As a recitalist, he has played in Granada, Spain, Asheville, NC, and Knoxville, TN; his most recent performance as soloist was the Harbison Concerto for the Bass Viol with the KSO in April 2007. He is currently finishing his master's degree in performance at Indiana University.

Steve has studied with such noted teachers as Lawrence Hurst, Stuart Sankey, Murray Grodner, Eldon Obrecht, and Audrey Bush. He plays a Cremonese bass made in 1683 by Aegidius Barzellini and is the founder of the Knoxville Chamber Music Festival and Bass Workshop.

Steve loves to mountain bike and play tennis. He has discovered yoga since coming to Knoxville, likes working on his old Volvo, and enjoys construction. He remodeled and added a second story to the 1921 Craftsman bungalow that he and his wife share.