Bruce Chidester
“Tall Bill” is the Robson Chamber Ensemble’s Double Bassist. Born and raised in Glendale, California he was introduced to all the orchestral string instruments in elementary school, finally settling on the biggest one, the Double Bass. Mostly self-taught on his instrument, he has traveled extensively to attend masterclasses at American and European Double Bass conferences, at the University of North Texas and TCU Schools of Music, and with the leading orchestral and jazz Double Bass players and teachers of the world.
He has enjoyed performing with school, university and community orchestras, dance and jazz ensembles in California, Delaware, Japan and Texas for over 50 years. His careers have taken him around the world with DuPont, GTE/Verizon, Jobs/Monster.com, Ernst & Young and now Robson Communities as a new home buyer consultant. Tall Bill is principal Double Bassist of the Flower Mound Symphony Orchestra.
In the Flower Mound Symphony Orchestra Tall Bill plays a five-string instrument, a 2006 Poellmann Imperator, made for him in Mittenwald, Germany. In the Robson Chamber Ensemble he plays a four-string instrument, a 2011 Sergio Scaramelli, made for him in Ferrara, Italy.
Tall Bill and his wife Deb have been married for 47 years and are pioneer residents of Robson Ranch, moving here the first week our community was open on Halloween 2001. Although they both still love working, they find time for many activities here at Robson Ranch, as well as world travel, opera, symphony, and cruising through life with their three children and six grandchildren.