Alexander Hanna was appointed Principal Bass of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Riccardo Muti in the spring of 2012. Prior to his Chicago appointment, he served as Principal Bass of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for four years. A 2008 graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music, Hanna has performed as soloist, chamber musician, teacher, lecturer, and orchestral musician around the world. His passion for chamber music has led to collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Mitsuko Uchida, and Jeremy Denk among many others. He has performed at several of the world’s finest music festivals including the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and the Bellingham Festival of Music, where he was featured as a concerto soloist in the summer of 2015. Additionally, Hanna has performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the East Coast Chamber Orchestra. Also an accomplished soloist, Hanna made his CSO solo debut in Vanhal’s Double Bass Concerto under conductor James Conlon in 2015. In addition to classical music, Hanna is devoted to new music and makes frequent appearances on the CSO’s MusicNOW series. He has also performed with New Music Detroit. A dedicated teacher, Hanna serves on the faculty of DePaul University and coaches the bass section of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He has taught master classes at many of the world’s finest universities and conservatories, several international conventions, and symposia. Hanna’s primary teachers have included Hal Robinson, Edgar Meyer, Scott Haigh, Kay Moore and Virginia Marks. This is his seventh appearance at PMF since 2016.

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