John Bottomley

John Bottomley joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2009 and maintains an active performing career as an orchestral and chamber musician, having performed with such groups as the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Albany Symphony, Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and the West Virginia Symphony.

John is the tubist with Bala Brass and was a founding member of the Manhattan Brass Quintet which won prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the New York Brass Conference. He was also a member of the Wisconsin Tuba Quartet, which was the first ensemble of its kind to advance to the live semi-final round at the Fischoff National Chamber Competition and is currently a member of Chromos Tuba Quartet. During the summer, John has taught gifted high school students at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute and the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival. 

He received his Doctor of Musical Arts from The Ohio State University under tubist Jim Akins of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. He holds a Master of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and was among the first to graduate from the orchestral performance degree program. While in New York he studied with Toby Hanks, former tubist of the New York City Ballet and the New York Brass Quintet. He completed his Bachelor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison while studying with tubist and composer John Stevens. 

John resides in Greenfield with his Bloodhound “Lola.” He donates to the Northeast Coonhound Rescue and strongly encourages the hound dog as a good household music critic.