George Berry

Bassoons

Principal
Molly Sverdrup Chair

George Berry became principal bassoonist of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1962 at the age of 18.  A native of Philadelphia, PA, his first instrument was the clarinet.  When he entered high school he took up the bassoon, studying with Ferdinand Del Negro, a bassoonist in the Philadelphia Orchestra.  He then attended the Eastman School in Rochester, NY as a full scholarship student studying with David Van Hoesen.  After one year of study at Eastman he became principal bassoonist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Berry has performed concertos by Mozart, Vivaldi and Strauss.  He has appeared as a soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony at the Ambler Music Festival in Pennsylvania and was a frequent performer with the Rarely Performed Music group in St. Louis. 

Mr. Berry is an avid organic gardener and makes his home in University City.  He and his wife Marilyn have two children and five grandchildren.