Keith Buncke began his tenure as Principal Bassoon of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in July 2015, having been appointed to the position by Music Director Riccardo Muti. He made his solo debut with the orchestra in January 2018 performing Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto.
Previously, Buncke served as Principal Bassoon of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, a post to which he was appointed in 2014, while still attending the Curtis Institute of Music.
He has participated in many prestigious summer music festivals such as Marlboro, La Jolla, Tanglewood, the Pacific Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West, and the Sarasota and Aspen music festivals. He has had the great opportunity of performing chamber music with distinguished artists like Vadim Gluzman and Mitsuko Uchida. He is also currently a member of the Chicago-based International Chamber Artists.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Buncke has performed as soloist with the Oregon Symphony, the Music Academy of the West Orchestra, and has been featured on NPR’s “From the Top.” He achieved semi-finalist status with the National Endowment of the Arts’ Presidential Scholar program.
Currently on the faculty at DePaul University, he has been a guest teacher at a number of institutions including the Aspen Festival and the Interlochen Arts Camp and Academy, of which he is an alum. Keith’s major teachers include Daniel Matsukawa, Dr. Eric Stomberg, and Mark Eubanks.
