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North Carolina Symphony

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Jakob Gerritsen*

Originally from Carpentersville, IL, Jakob Gerritsen began studying the double bass at the age of 10 in the public school system. He completed his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University, earning a bachelor’s degree in music performance and a bachelor’s degree in Learning and Organizational Development. From there he went on to study at the Cleveland […]

Omar Haffar

Omar Haffar is a double bassist who joined the North Carolina Symphony during the 2025/26 season. Before joining NCS, he spent a season playing with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra on a one-year contract and performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. He received his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University in 2022, where he studied with […]

Bruce Ridge

NCS Double Bass Bruce Ridge - The John C. and Margaret P. Parker Chair

Double bassist Bruce Ridge has been a member of the North Carolina Symphony since 1987. He began his professional career when he joined the Virginia Symphony Orchestra at the age of 15. Ridge later studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music where he graduated with Distinction in Performance […]

Joshua DePoint

NCS Associate Principal Double Bass Joshua DePoint - The Dr. and Mrs. Preston H. Gada Chair

A native of Buffalo, NY, Joshua DePoint began studying the double bass at the age of nine. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music and a Performer’s Certificate in double bass performance from the Eastman School of Music. He went on to study at the Yale School of Music, graduating with a master’s degree […]

Leonid Finkelshteyn

Bassist Leonid Finkelshteyn enjoys an active career as a performer and teacher. Currently Principal Double Bass of the North Carolina Symphony, which he joined in 1996, and the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra in North Carolina, since 1999, he also serves on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the North Carolina […]