Eliot Wadopian

In memorian 1958-2021
Eliot passed away suddenly on September 13, 2021. His friendship and musical presence will be profoundly missed.

Having begun his studies at the Berklee College of Music, Multiple Grammy Award winning bassist Eliot Wadopian has been a professional musician for more than thirty years. He has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia with many professional ensembles, among them the Howard Hanger Jazz Fantasy and the Paul Winter Consort.

Residing in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina, Eliot has involved his talents as a music educator and bassist at many regional universities, recording studios as well as performance venues in the U.S. and abroad. He has performed or recorded numerous sessions in North and South Carolina, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Texas and New York City with such artists as Paul Winter and the Paul Winter Consort, noted Jazz pianist Jack Coker, A&M recording artist David Wilcox, amazing gospel recording artistTheresa Thomason, Windham Hill and Living Music recording artist's Eugene Friesen and Paul Halley, world music drummer and percussionist for Paul Simon, Jamey Haddad, renowned jazz saxophonist and GRP recording artist Donald Harrison, pianist/composer Paul Sullivan, international recording artist and master hand-percussionist Glen Velez, west coast jazz pianist and pedagogue Mark Levine, jazz pianist and master pedagogue Hal Galper, famed jazz guitarist Gene Bertoncini, vocalist Dinah Shore, virtuoso flutist Rhonda Larson, Brazilian guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, jazz trumpet virtuosos Jon Faddis and Bobby Shew, singer/songwriter Judy Collins, jazz trumpeter Byron Stripling, pianist and entertainer Brian Gurl, pianist/humorist Steve Allen, comedian Robert Klein, uilleann piper from "River Dance" Davy Spillane to name a few.

Mr. Wadopian has been continually teaching double bass and bass guitar privately and at the University of North Carolina - Asheville as adjunct faculty member from 1980-1998, currently on the faculty of Western Carolina University. He is also a regular performer with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra since 1980 (Assistant Principal Bass from 1988-2000) and the Brevard Chamber Orchestra as Principal Bassist from 1985-2000 as well as section bassist in the Greenville Symphony Orchestra since 1985 and a frequent addition to many other orchestras in the mid-Atlantic region. Eliot maintains memberships in the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), the International Society of Bassist (ISB), Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) and the United States Judo Association (USJA).