San Francisco Academy Orchestra- Andrei Gorbatenko

Andrei Gorbatenko, bassist and conductor, was born in 1977. He began studying bass with Shinji Eshima at the San Francisco School of the Arts and continued his studies at the University of California with Barry Green and at the Aspen Music Festival with Eugene Levinson, principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic.

Gorbatenko, a native San Franciscan, grew up taking full advantage of the valuable opportunities given to him by the San Francisco Symphony's education department. There he met Associate Conductor, Alasdair Neale with whom he began his conducting studies. He has also participated in the programs of The American Orchestral League, The Conductors Institute at Bard, and has performed in the American Academy of Conducting Orchestra, at the Aspen Music Festival.

Mr. Gorbatenko is currently the music director of the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, which gives a hand-selected group of young professional musicians the opportunity to rehearse and perform alongside members of the San Francisco Symphony. Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle and SF Classical Voice as "venerable" and "simply amazing," the Academy Orchestra has reached great artistic heights performing with internationally acclaimed artists in many of San Francisco's most prestigious venues.

As a bassist, Mr. Gorbatenko has had the privilege of making music in the United States, France, Germany, Austria, The Netherlands and The Czech Republic in some of the worlds great venues such as the Concertgebouw, Dvorak Hall, Cite de la Music, Carnegie Hall, and Davies Symphony Hall. He has performed with Bay Area orchestra's such as the California Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic, Berkeley Symphony, Monterey Symphony, Napa Symphony, Fremont Symphony, Vallejo Symphony, Merced Symphony, Modesto Symphony, and the Russian Chamber Orchestra.

Among Mr. Gorbatenko's more recent interests, is performing chamber music. In this capacity, he has performed with members of the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera in the productions of , California Chamber Players, The Broderick Ensemble, Chamber Music San Francisco, Old First Concerts, and Calvary Concert Connect, of which he is Artistic Advisor.

Gorbatenko enjoys performing new music but feels that, "whether through architecture, literature, or music, the responsibility of bringing to life the imaginations of the dead is the greatest privilege of all."