PETE DONOVAN
bassist - composer - producer
ABOUT
Pete Donovan is a sought after bassist, composer and producer with nearly three decades of experience at the heart of New York City’s vibrant music scene. Known for his dynamic range he has worked with music icons Sting, Beck, Rufus Wainwright, Lady Gaga, Bono, Quincy Jones, and Kelli O’Hara, among many others. Well-versed in many genres, he can be found performing on the great concert stages, hole-in-the-wall clubs and legendary recording studios.
Sting
Beck
Rufus Wainwright
As a recording artist, Donovan’s discography includes appearances with Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, Plácido Domingo, Barbara Cook, Tony Bennett, and Lady Gaga. He has appeared on film and TV soundtracks like Across the Universe,You’ve Got Mail, Sesame Street, The Wiz and Smash. He has appeared on numerous television programs such as Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Good Morning America.
A fixture on the Broadway scene, Donovan has held the bass chair on numerous Broadway productions. His credits include Sting’s The Last Ship, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock and Sunset Boulevard as well as the 2023 Lincoln Center production of Camelot, where he also served as an assistant conductor.
Sunset Boulevard Orchestra
Conducting Camelot at Lincoln Center
Last Ship Band in the studio
In the orchestral world, Donovan has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, and the Detroit Symphony. He has performed on the stages of festivals and venues like Tanglewood, Ravinia, Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall.
​​Beyond performance, Pete Donovan is a skilled arranger, composer and producer. He has crafted arrangements for artists like Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley and for his Rock/Pop crossover group, New Power Trio. His songs and works for bass can be heard in his solo project Pete Donovan, Solo. As producer he supports a diverse range of indie, jazz and classical artists from his Brooklyn-based studio, Pencil Factory Recording.​​​
New Power Trio
Pete Donovan - Solo
Producing a video for Furiant Trio
​​Donovan’s formal education includes the Juilliard School where he studied with former New York Philharmonic principal bassist, Eugene Levinson. He also studied jazz composition with Mike Longo, long time pianist for Dizzy Gillespie. Whether on stage, in the studio, or crafting the next arrangement, Donovan continues to make music within New York City’s diverse music scene.