Bobby Scharmann originally found his love for the bass through transcribing the electric basslines of bassist Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers as a teenager. Previously a student of piano and viola, Bobby quickly formed a number of rock bands, joined his high school jazz band and area youth orchestra, and discovered the bass as his primary musical voice.
A native of Manhattan, KS, Bobby is a stylistically diverse bassist and educator with experience in a wide range of genres. Bobby currently performs in the bass section of Omaha Symphony, and is assistant principal bass in Lincoln Symphony. He was co-principal bass of the National Repertory Orchestra in 2017, and is a past member of Topeka Symphony.
In addition to his orchestral career, Bobby has performed jazz, rock, and pop throughout the United States, appearing at such venues as The Jazz Kitchen and The Chatterbox in Indianapolis, as well as Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. He received two awards from Downbeat Magazine’s Student Music Awards in 2015 for work with his co-led jazz septet JKS. The septet released their debut album “Moonflower” later that year, and has plans to record again in the future. Bobby was also invited to Ravinia’s Steans Institute Program for Jazz in 2014, where he studied with faculty Dr. David Baker, Rufus Reid, Curtis Fuller and Dr. Nathan Davis.
Bobby received his Master of Music degree from Indiana University as a student of Kurt Muroki and Jeremy Allen, and his Bachelor of Music degree from Kansas State University as a student of Gordon Lewis and David Littrell.
When he is not practicing, performing, or teaching, Bobby enjoys spending time with his cats, playing video games, and dreaming about his mediocre comedy career.