Scott Bell is retired from the Pittsburgh Symphony after playing oboe there for 28 seasons.  After leaving the Pittsburgh Symphony, Mr. Bell was on the inaugural faculty of the Tianjin Juilliard School in China.  He served as Chairman of the woodwind, brass and percussion departments as well as Professor of Oboe.  Now relocated back in the United States, he will join the adjunct faculty at Carnegie Mellon University starting the fall of 2025.  

Mr. Bell received a B.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music where he was a student of John Mack.  He has also worked with Elaine Douvas, Peter Bowman, Marc Lifschey and Gladys Elliot.  Since graduation, he has been a member of the Veracruz (Mexico) Symphony, the American Chamber Symphony, the New Orleans Symphony, Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra  and the Hartford Symphony.  He has also worked with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Grant Park Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the National Symphony, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.  In 1982, Mr. Bell was the first oboist to win First Prize in the Fernand Gillet Competition.

As an educator, Mr. Bell has been on the faculties of Tulane University, Duquesne University and Northern Illinois University.  He has given master classes all over China, the US and South America.  In the US, highlights include classes at Oberlin College, Cincinnati Conservatory, Indiana University and Florida State.  He is also the author of the recently published book “Let’s Get Started Playing the Oboe”, a comprehensive beginning oboe method.  As he states: “this is the book I wish I had when I started”.

Away from the oboe, Mr. Bell likes to bake and is a second level Master in competitive bridge.