Elevate your Bass skills with Kody Thiessen

Kody Thiessen is a highly accomplished bassist who earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying under the guidance of Scott Pingel, Principal Bass of the San Francisco Symphony. Kody also studied with the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, working directly with Charles Chandler and Amos Yang of the San Francisco Symphony. In 2024, he was appointed Principal Bass for the Santa Rosa Symphony after serving in the section for two seasons, and is now the Assistant Principal Bassist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra after winning the audition in May of 2025.

Kody has performed with world-class ensembles such as the San Francisco Ballet and the San Francisco Symphony. He has also contributed to Broadway productions, serving as a substitute bassist for the North American Tour of Les Misérables. Kody has also been a regular performer with the Mendocino Music Festival and Bear Valley Music Festival.

A fellow of the National Orchestral Institute, Kody has enriched the Bay Area music scene with his performances with numerous orchestras, including the Symphony San Jose, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Modesto Symphony, California Symphony, Reno Philharmonic, Marin Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, and Oakland Symphony Orchestra. Kody is looking forward to making Tucson his new home and exploring the rich cultural landscape it contains.

When Thiessen isn’t performing, he enjoys cooking, fishing, going to the gym, hiking, reading, collecting records and practicing for his next orchestral sets and solo repertoire.