D’Amico, Steven

Assistant Principal Double Bass

Steve D’Amico is Assistant Principal Double Bass with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, a position he has held since 1980. Until his 2019 retirement, he also served forty-four seasons as Principal Double Bass with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Mr. D'Amico was a member of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players and whenever possible, enjoys playing with various chamber music ensembles throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to performing, he has had a long history of active involvement and leadership on both the Opera and Ballet Orchestras' Players' Committees.

A native of San Mateo, California, Mr. D’Amico graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1975 and was awarded a fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Festival in 1976 and 1977, where he performed as a member of the Tanglewood Fellowship Orchestra.

Mr. D'Amico is a 20-year member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and can be heard on many recordings with the San Francisco Opera and Ballet Orchestras. His other performances in the recording studio at Skywalker Sound include soundtracks for numerous films and video/computer games.

When he is not playing the bass, he is known for showing many members of the Orchestra the joys (and the occasional sorrows) of salmon fishing on the Pacific Ocean. He is a regular practitioner of meditation and Kriya Yoga. His extensive musical career has also fostered a deep appreciation for the therapeutic properties of sound. He now actively studies sound healing.

Mr. D’Amico is married to former San Francisco Ballet dancer, Dr. Yolonda Jordan D’Amico.