Meet the Orchestra: Kipras Mazeika

We are proud to share wonderful news — one of our own, Kipras, has won the audition for contrabassoon/bassoon with the New York Metropolitan Opera! This is an incredibly competitive and prestigious achievement, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate his success.

Congratulations, Kipras! Your talent and dedication inspire us all.

About Kipras

Bassoonist Kipras Mazeika has been a member of the Seattle Symphony since the 2022/2023 season. Born and raised in Seattle, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Bassoon Performance from Rice University. He studied with Benjamin Kamins and was a recipient of the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts. Previously, Mazeika studied with Francine Peterson and was a member of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony, Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra and the Seattle Wind Symphony. He is a three-time Fellow at the Music Academy of the West and has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra. Passionate about community engagement, Mazeika was a coordinator for the Shepherd School’s Just For U music program, where he organized and performed concerts for various elementary and middle schools in the Houston area and recorded an introductory bassoon video for young audiences. He is also a frequent guest on the Seattle Symphony’s Tiny Tots series and enjoys performing with the Seattle Symphony Wind Quintet in outreach concerts.