He is a double bassist from Tacoma, Washington who started out on the violin as his father was an amateur violin maker. While in junior high school his orchestra director got him to change from the violin after suggesting the string bass to him. From then on this would be his choice and he went on to study at the University of Michigan where he earned his master’s degree in bass performance.
He went in to service and performed bass and sousaphone, while continuing to study, in the US Army Special Forces Band at West Point Military Academy for three years.
In 1973 he became a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and retired in 2018 after 45 years. He also played as a chamber musician with other CSO members in various enesembles and took part in the first Millennium Park “Concert for Chicago” with Riccardo Muti in 2010.
An elected representative of the musicians of the orchestra, he decided not to stand for re-election after forty years on the Members’ Committee, with 20 years as the Vice Chairman.
Recordings he has performed on include Corigliano: Symphony No. 1, Wagner: Overtures and Preludes, Carter/Berio/Takemitsu, Brahms: Violin Concert/Sonata No. 3 and Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass – Live by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, All My Reasons by Noel Pointer and the film soundtrack for Lincoln.
His wife Betsy is a freelance violinist in Chicago and their daughter Jenny is a violist with the National Symphony Orchestra and son Daniel is a cellist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
He performs here…
Sources:
- https://csosoundsandstories.org/roger-cline-bass/
- http://www.chicagosymphonymusicians.com/features/roger-cline-and-the-cso-members-committee
- https://www.stokowski.org/Chicago_Symphony_Musicians_List.htm
- https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=472254509461578&story_fbid=2701744396512567
- https://www.discogs.com/ru/artist/3287521