Retired bassist Joseph DiBello donates his rare instrument to the CSO

Though Joseph DiBello stepped down from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2020, the sound of his 18th-century Italian bass will continue to be heard in Orchestra Hall.

Upon his retirement, DiBello donated the rare bass to the ensemble, dedicating this generous gift to Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti. The CSO’s bass section will continue to use the instrument for years to come; Principal Bass Alexander Hanna currently plays it.

“The CSO was my life over the years, and it was one of the great things that’s ever happened to me,” said DiBello, who joined the orchestra in 1976. “I felt so honored to be able to play in such a great orchestra with so many wonderful musicians.”

He recalled many meaningful performances over the years, including Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg with eighth music director Sir Georg Solti and Tristan and Isolde with ninth music director Daniel Barenboim; Mozart’s Da Ponte operas with Barenboim, and many Bruckner and Mahler symphonies with former principal conductor Bernard Haitink.

When Riccardo Muti became the CSO’s 10th music director in 2010, DiBello was thrilled. “Not only was I a great fan of the maestro, we also shared ethnicity, which I was very proud of,” he said. The two developed a strong friendship over the years, which inspired DiBello’s gift in his honor.

“I’ll never forget recording Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello with him. It was an incredibly memorable experience,” DiBello recalled. When the CSO played this work at Carnegie Hall and recorded it live at Symphony Center in 2011, DiBello performed in the principal bass chair, a then-vacant position. “There’s a great double bass soli in Otello, and I was very proud of how that came out on the recording,” he said.

Another highlight of his career came when his daughter, Gina DiBello, joined the CSO’s first violin section in 2013. “I’m very proud of her; that was a great feather in my cap,” he said. DiBello’s wife is also a violinist; she retired from the Lyric Opera Orchestra. “I’m so lucky to have her as my soulmate for all these years,” he said.

When DiBello retired and donated his bass to the CSO, he had been playing it for more than four decades. The instrument was crafted circa 1750 by an unknown maker in the Brescian School, and DiBello purchased it in Montreal in 1979. It took a while for the bass to settle into Chicago’s winter temperatures, he recalled. “But it was a great instrument, and I’ve had quite a bit of work done to it. It still is a wonderful instrument.”

In remarks shared via email, Principal Bass Alexander Hanna reflected warmly on his time performing with DiBello:

I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to be Joe DiBello’s colleague for nine years. Joe is one of the most gifted and passionate musicians I’ve ever met. Joe could pull a big, rich and bassy sound out of his magnificent old Italian bass, and every note he played with the CSO was straight from his heart. He was a pillar of the bass section. If I could have it my way, I’d have Joe playing that bass in our section for the rest of my career. However, I suppose his donation of the instrument to the orchestra would be the next best thing. We are immensely grateful for this generous and thoughtful donation to our section.

I am playing the bass in the orchestra at the moment; however, we will make the instrument available to another member of the section soon. We shall see who’s up to the task of wielding this “Excalibur” of a bass. Joe set the bar very high.

As for DiBello, he misses playing with the CSO but is enjoying retirement. “It’s been a great ride for me. In a way, I’m sorry to see it all end, but all good things come to an end,” he said. “I was so happy to give the bass to the orchestra, because the orchestra has meant so much to me and has been such a big part of my life. I felt it appropriate for me to do that.”