Shinji Eshima

[2] As a bassist, he was primarily self-taught for the first three years of learning the instrument, but he was inspired by violinist and educator Anne Crowden, his first music teacher for bass.

[4] His primary teachers were his first bass professor, Charles Siani (Stanford University), and David Walter (The Juilliard School).

[5] Under the baton of Sandor Salgo, Eshima was principal bass of the Marin Symphony and the Carmel Bach Festival.

[2] Eshima has also performed with Alma Trio, SF Chamber Soloists, SF Chamber Orchestra,[6] Francesco Trio,[7] and as part of the Schwabacher Recital Series [8] Eshima has been a double bassist for San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet since 1980 and 1982, respectively.

[4] Shinji Eshima plays on the 1843 Charles Plumerel bass that is seen in the Edgar Degas 1870 c. oil on canvas painting The Orchestra at the Opera which hangs at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris (an oil sketch of the work is owned by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and is often on display at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco).

Eshima's Juilliard teacher, David Walter, was the principal bass of the New York City Ballet orchestra and he played the Plumerel for more than 30 years.

The bass was first performed at the War Memorial Opera House in 2008 during the 75th anniversary of San Francisco Ballet.