Tony Manzo, Bass
As a sought-after chamber musician, Anthony Manzo wishes his double bass was eligible for its own frequent flier account. He lives in Washington, DC, where he is a regular guest with the National Symphony and the Smithsonian Chamber Players as well as on the chamber music faculty of the National Orchestral Institute, and commutes westward for his position as Solo Bassist of San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra.
In addition he spends much time hopping between chamber music festivals such as Spoleto and the Garth Newel Music Center. Recent chamber music collaborators include Menahem Pressler, the St. Lawrence Quartet, and the Auryn Quartet. Mr. Manzo is also an active performer on period instruments, with groups such as Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society, Chicago’s Baroque Band, and Opera Lafayette, and occasionally still returns to play in Europe, where for many years he was Solo Bassist with the Munich Chamber Orchestra.
Following his studies at Boston University, Mr. Manzo played in the New World Symphony in Miami before moving to Norway to play with the Bergen Philharmonic. A year later he joined the Munich Chamber Orchestra, with whom he spent the next 7 years performing, recording, and touring around the world. His marriage to cellist Rachel Young led him back to Washington, DC, where they now live with their two children Adam and Kari.
Mr. Manzo performs on a double bass by Jean Thibouville Lamy, made in Paris around 1890.