Tom Bittinger

Bassoonist, Tom Bittinger, has been a member of the Fort Collins Symphony longer than any other current member of the orchestra, beginning his tenure under the baton of Wil Schwartz in the 1974-75 season. In 2014 he was honored and humbled when the Principal Bassoon chair was endowed in his name with a generous gift from Dr. Bev Donnelley and Bill West. In addition to his role in the symphony as a musician, Tom has served on the conductor search committees, on the orchestra musicians’ committee, and as a musician representative on the Symphony Board of Directors.

Mr. Bittinger holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music and education from Colorado State University and also studied bassoon performance with Walter Greene at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Yoshi Ishikawa at The University of Colorado. In addition to performing with the Fort Collins Symphony, Tom plays bassoon with the Cheyenne Symphony, Opera Fort Collins, The Larimer Chorale, and Canyon Concert Ballet.

From 1978-2009, Mr. Bittinger taught instrumental music in Poudre School District. Most of this time was as band and orchestra director at Boltz Junior High, but he also taught at Blevins, Preston, and Lesher Junior High Schools. Now retired from the school district, he maintains an active studio of middle and high school bassoon students. He also loves to go fly-fishing on the beautiful rivers of Colorado and Wyoming. Tom lives in Fort Collins with his wife, and favorite duet partner, Beth Wells, a cellist with the Symphony, and their two over-indulged basset hounds.

Get to know Tom