Gene Pokorny

American Tuba Virtuoso

Gene Pokorny (b. 1953) is an American tuba player, the Principal Tuba in The Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1989. Previously, he was a member of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Pokorny studied tuba at the University Of Southern California with Jeffrey Reynolds, Tommy Johnson (2) and Roger Bobo. The artist had been annually teaching at USF, as well as lecturing and performing at the Pokorny Seminar at the University of Redlands. In 2009, Gene Pokorny participated in the McGill University's Brass Year program. As a researcher, he authored a chapter on orchestral auditions for the Tuba Source Book published by Indiana University Press, as well as articles for the Tuba Journal and The Instrumentalist. In addition to playing Hollywood film scores such as Jurassic Park and The Fugitive, Pokorny has participated in chamber, opera and orchestra festivals worldwide. He assisted Rolling Stones' trombonist, Michael Davis, in the production of the Twenty Minute Warm-Up, and also recorded three solo albums.