School of Music > Faculty & Staff > Faculty A-Z > Michael Hovnanian

Michael Hovnanian

Education
BFA California Institute of the Arts

Courses Taught
Orchestral Repertoire

About
Michael Hovnanian grew up in the Seattle area and started playing the bass in the public schools. His primary private teachers were James Harnett and Ronald Simon of the Seattle Symphony. An early interest in solo playing lead to performances with the Seattle Symphony, the Northwest Chamber Orchestra and the University of Washington Symphony. Michael attended the University of Washington and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the California Institute of the Arts where he studied with Frederick Tinsley of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 1986 he joined the Victoria Symphony as Principal Bassist and in 1988 the San Antonio Symphony as a member of the bass section. Since 1989 he has been a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to playing the Chicago Symphony, Mr. Hovnanian is active performing solo and chamber music in the Chicago area. He has appeared in the Chicago Symphony chamber concerts at Orchestra Hall and the Art Institute, and also with Chicago Pro Musica. In addition to performing, Michael has written new music for the double bass and is president of Discordia Music, a publishing company dedicated to double bass music. He is also co-founder of the International Bottesini Society, an organization dedicated to promoting the legacy of that composer.