Thomas P. Reel, bass
 Tom Reel has been a member of the double bass section of the Virginia Symphony since 1984, but his path to the orchestra was anything but direct. After his first bass lesson as a third-grader in Tarrytown, NY, he thought the instrument had only four notes. (He soon learned that pressing the strings down changed the pitch). After graduating from High School, Reel chose to attend the Air Force Academy in Colorado. After graduating in 1970, he served five years in the Air Force including a tour in Viet Nam. Music was a hobby during these years but that was about to change.
In 1975 Tom left the Air Force to attend the University of Kansas to study bass with Charles Hoag. "Until then, I had no idea what kind of commitment was required for the pursuit of a professional life in music," says Tom. After seven years of study at KU, he had bachelors & masters degrees in double bass performance and a job as Principal Bass with the Midland-Odessa Symphony in Texas. Two years after that, he won a position with the Virginia Symphony.
Reel's studies have included instruction from Barry Green, Paul Ellison, Franco Pettrachi, Francois Rabbath, Murray Grodner and others. He has served as Principal Bass for the Missouri Symphony Society Chamber Orchestra, the Permian Consort, Festival Orchestras in Italy & Austria and the Ash Lawn Opera.
Tom has served on the Virginia Symphony Board of Directors and worked on the Symphony Staff selling program ads. Today he is a tireless volunteer for the Symphony and for the Musicians' Union. Tom thinks that a sense of humor and relentless optimism are necessary ingredients for success. When prospects seem dim and some find it challenging to see the glass as half full, Tom will note, "The glass is moist!"
Is he unhappy to be working for wages that are less than a military retirement would have provided at this point in his life? "Not at all. Hampton Roads is a stimulating place to live. I embrace the consequences of the choices I've made and I'm very proud to be part of the Virginia Symphony. It's not just an institution; it's a family of dedicated and hard working people on and off the stage."
A transplanted New Yorker, Tom now makes his home in Norfolk where he enjoys all sorts of music and maintains a passion for baseball and politics. He sees the Symphony's musicians as vital to the quality of life in Hampton Roads, even beyond music performance and music education. "Resident artists bring a spiritual and intellectual capital to any community," says Reel who also likes to remind people that "Supporting the Arts Means Supporting the Artists."
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