Eric Stomberg enjoys a wide-ranging musical career as a performer, artist-teacher and artistic administrator. Stomberg maintains an active schedule with positions as Professor of Bassoon at the University of Kansas, Director of Music for Summer Programs at Interlochen Center for the Arts, Instructor of Bassoon at Interlochen Arts Academy, and as Past President of the International Double Reed Society. He has held orchestral positions over the past fifteen years as a member of City Music Cleveland, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Stomberg also served as Visiting Professor of Bassoon at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and has held guest residencies and given masterclasses at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, Florida State University, Glenn Gould School (Toronto), Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and University of Iowa among many others. His festival participation includes artist- faculty positions with the Asian Double Reed Association, Colombian Bassoon Festival, University of Costa Rica Double Reed Festival, Spanish Double Reed Association, and the Sarasota Music Festival.
In addition to concerto performances in Colombia and the Czech Republic and festival performances in Colombia, Spain, and Taiwan, Stomberg is featured on two CD releases: James Balentine’s Dun Eideann Blogh with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra (Navona Records) and Jennifer Higdon’s Dark Wood (Naxos), which was met with critical acclaim by Fanfare Magazine: “the disc’s highlight is bassoonist Eric Stomberg’s remarkably characterful traversal of [Jennifer] Higdon’s Dark Wood – witty, volatile and arresting.”
Stomberg’s first CD, Victor Bruns: Music for Bassoon. Eric Stomberg and Friends, can also be found on the Naxos label. Pianist Robert Koenig and fellow Men Who Don’t Bite (a bassoon quartet) members George Sakakeeny, Jonathan Sherwin and Barrick Stees joined Stomberg in the world- premiere recording of these works. The quartet has since performed at the annual conferences of the International Double Reed Society and other chamber music series. Stomberg has arranged four works for the quartet that are published by Trevco Music Publishing.
As an advocate for using music to affect social change, Stomberg has been deeply involved as an artist-faculty member of the Filarmónica Joven De Colombia. This social program brings together talented young Colombian musicians in weeklong residencies throughout the year. Following a number of years in the program, the students become engaged music educators for the next generation of Colombian musicians. At the University of Kansas, Stomberg has created an outreach and engagement program in collaboration with the Lied Center of Kansas which allows chamber music ensembles to engage with the Lawrence community while honing their skills as future artists, educators, and leaders.
Stomberg received the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and the Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Kansas. His major teachers include William Winstead, Alan Hawkins and Gregg Randall.