Dominic Rotella

Dominic Rotella recently joined the Richmond Symphony Orchestra as its new Principal Horn. Previously, he served as Principal Horn of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago (Chile) and has also held positions with the Louisville Orchestra, New World Symphony, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago. He has made guest appearances with dozens of professional ensembles, including the premier symphony orchestras of Chicago, Houston, Cincinnati, Nashville, and Fort Worth. He performs annually at the Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd, Minnesota, and will soon make his debut with the Sun Valley Music Festival in Idaho.

Initially a trumpet player, Dominic first played the horn at age 14 under the guidance of John P. Little. He later studied with professor D. Bruce Heim at the University of Louisville, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in horn performance. Most recently, he completed three semesters of graduate coursework at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University under the tutelage of world-renowned horn pedagogue William VerMeulen.

Dominic was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, grew up in the small town of Holderness, New Hampshire, then spent twelve years in Louisville, Kentucky. He has now lived in seven states and two countries and finds it increasingly difficult to answer the question, “Where are you from?”