EducationBFA 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.