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Andrew RacitiAndrew Raciti was a member of the NRO in 1996, and principal in 1997. After getting his masters degree at Rice University under the tutelage of Paul Ellison, Andy won a position as Associate Principal Bass with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Australia.

In 2006 he moved back to the United States to fill the position of Assistant Principal Bass at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.  Three seasons ago Andy became Acting Principal.  In addition to this role, he has taught at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University since 2011 and in the summers plays in the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Over the years he has also performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony, and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. 

Andy shares, “The NRO was my first exposure to the pace and rhythms of a full time orchestral job.  The length of the festival, combined with the immense amount of repertoire, opened my eyes to how much preparation outside of rehearsal is needed to excel in an orchestra.  It gave me a glimpse into what my working life could look like.   For that reason alone it was an incredibly valuable experience.  Getting the chance to play so much of the standard repertoire, much of which I’d have to play in auditions later on, gave great context to the excerpts that we practice for thousands of hours.  There is no substitute for actually playing these pieces in an orchestra, and because I showed up very prepared, the NRO was extremely beneficial.  Not to mention a lot of fun!”