A native of Edmonton, Ian Whitman was introduced to the bass at age 17 and spent two years studying jazz music at Grant MacEwan College. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Music degree from McGill University and completed his Master of Music at Yale University. After a year at the New England Conservatory in Boston, Ian joined the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony as Principal Bass in 2008. Throughout his training, Ian studied with world-class bass players including Joel Quarrington and Donald Palma and has received coaching from members of ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Tokyo String Quartet.
In addition to his position in Kitchener, Ian regularly performs orchestral and chamber music around Southern Ontario and has been a guest with Canadian orchestras including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony, l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Calgary Philharmonic. Since 2012 he has been on faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University and works closely with the KW Symphony’s youth orchestra program as a coach and conductor. Ian lives in Kitchener with his wife, violinist Allene Chomyn and their two young children.