Bennie Cottone
Principal Oboe

Bennie has played oboe and english horn in the Berkeley Symphony for 25 years. The oboe and its lower pitched cousin are two of the most demanding instruments in the orchestra. Consistency of playing depends on a continual supply of fresh reeds and Bennie spends hours at the reed desk in order to have a reliable stream of fresh reeds.

A native of San Francisco, Bennie grew up in the Mt. Davidson area and attended Miraloma Elementary School, where he began study of the clarinet in 5^th grade. While at Lowell High School he heard the orchestra was going to Japan and needed an oboe player. He practiced oboe over the summer and went to Japan with the orchestra and he is still doing it! He began to specialize on the english horn and credits Julie Giacobassi of the San Francisco Symphony for providing invaluable direction and advice. Other teachers were Ray and Ellie Duste, Marc Lifschey and John deLanci.

Bennie is a card-carrying member of the "freeway philharmonic", playing as a regular with the California and Monterey Symphonies as well as the Berkeley Symphony. He played for many years with the Santa Rosa Symphony and with the San Jose Symphony until its untimely demise. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, plays frequently with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, playing for the Joffrey, Bolshoi, ABT and Stuttgart Ballets, as well as the Mark Morris Group and Phantom of the Opera.

Bennie has played for the Monterey Symphony for twenty-two years.

When time permits, Bennie is an avid mushroom forager and member of the Mycological Society of San Francisco and frequents Pac Bell Park during baseball season.

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