Spotlight: Ian Bracchitta

Principal Double Bass

A native of Westchester County in New York, Ian Bracchitta is a versatile double bassist equally at home in the classical, jazz, and popular genres. Ian is Principal Bassist of the Spartanburg Philharmonic, Assistant Principal Bass in the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, and is a freelance bassist with the Charlotte and Charleston Symphony Orchestras. In March 2021, we were proud to feature Ian alongside Principal Violist Alvoy Bryan, Jr. on our Glorious Fanfare concert. The duo performed a movement from the Sinfonia Concertante by Dittersdorf on the all-concerto* program.

Ian is dedicated to the Philharmonic and has been a longstanding member of the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra Committee, representing his colleagues to the Board of Directors (see page 7). In 2021, Ian joined Alvoy and fellow orchestra members Kelly Vaneman (Oboe) and John Holloway (Tuba) on the Music Director Search Committee (see page 42). As a jazz bassist Ian performs extensively in the area and has appeared with The Tommy Dorsey, Nelson Riddle and Cab Calloway Orchestras, among many others. Additionally, he has performed with the orchestras for the national tours of countless Broadway shows such as Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Beautiful, West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, Evita, and My Fair Lady. He has also been heard on regional TV/ radio commercials and industrial soundtracks.

A devoted teacher, Ian currently teaches at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, Furman and Clemson Universities, and maintains a private studio.

Keep an ear out this spring as Ian will also be featured on our Epic concert in April (see page 38). The third movement of Mahler’s “Titan” symphony opens with a solo double bass accompanied by a quietly beating timpani. Ian will play the famous “Frère Jacques” melody (albeit in minor) that lays the groundwork for the entire movement.

PHOTOS FROM FALL 2021