Douglas Rioth

Douglas Rioth, San Francisco Symphony principal harpist, joined the orchestra in 1981 and made his San Francisco Symphony solo debut in 1984 with Handel's Harp Concerto in B-flat Major, with Raymond Leppard conducting. He has performed as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony in works by Mozart, Ginastera, Debussy, and Frank Martin, and he has appeared many times in their Chamber Music Series and in Wondrous Sounds of Christmas concerts.

Born in Missouri in 1953, Mr. Rioth studied with Alice Chalifoux and Elisa Smith Dickon, attended the Interlochen Arts Academy and Cleveland Institute of Music, and studied at the Berkshire Music Center as a fellowship student. Before coming to San Francisco, he was the principal harpist of the Indianapolis Symphony for six years. He has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Royal Winnipeg Ballet Orchestra, and in chamber music with the Caselli Ensemble and Chamber Music Sundaes. He has been featured on NBC's News Overnight, has been a regular participant in the Salzedo Summer Harp Colony in Camden, Maine, and serves on the coaching team for the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.