Donald Bochnicek

Donald was born and raised in the Omaha area, beginning violin studies at age 6. “My grandmother would play tapes of Shoji Tabuchi, a fiddler in Branson Missouri,” Donald recalls. “I fell in love with pieces like Flight of the Bumble Bee, Wabash Cannonball, and Old Joe Clark. At age 5, my grandparents took me to Branson to see him perform. I was signed up for lessons 4 months later.”

Donald took his violin playing to the university level in 2010 at UNO, studying with Bill Wolcott and Dr. Mary Perkinson. His senior recital the in fall of 2016 included works by Dvorak, Bach, Kabalevsky, and Rachmaninoff.

Over time, Donald developed a taste for other instruments as well. He played trombone through high school, picked up trap set in 2011, and in 2016, Donald auditioned to play trap in his grandfather’s big band, The Jimmy B Orchestra. Donald earned the approval of his grandfather and the band to play Sing, Sing, Sing by Benny Goodman. Currently, Donald is developing his piano skills and always improving on his violin technique and repertoire.