Erik Ludwig, contrabassoon, has been a member of The Phoenix Symphony since 1987, and has spent summers as a faculty member of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina since 1988.

From 1981-1984, Ludwig served as assistant principal bassoon with the Orquestra Filharmonica of Santiago, Chile. In 1985, he joined the Pittsburgh-based Con Spirito Woodwind Quintet, whose activities included an acclaimed Merkin Hall debut and a three-week tour of The People’s Republic of China. He is currently instructor of bassoon at Northern Arizona University, a post he has held since 1996.

Ludwig has made solo appearances with The Phoenix Symphony and has recorded with them for Koch International. He is a charter member of Ensemble 21 and has recorded with that group on the Summit label. Ludwig has also served as principal bassoon with the annual Mostly Mozart Festival with Jeffrey Siegel as conductor.

Teachers who have influenced Ludwig are Otto Eifert, Sidney Rosenberg and Leonard Sharrow. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in German and political science, and is a master’s of music candidate of the University of Cincinnati.