Bassist Kit Polen performs regularly with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, including joining
them on their 2019 tour through Asia. He is a member of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra,
Rockford Symphony Orchestra, and Dubuque Symphony Orchestra in addition to performing
with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber
musician, he has performed with many artists including the Argus Quartet, Chai Collaborative
Ensemble, and Leon Fleisher. Equally comfortable outside the traditional symphonic setting,
Polen has collaborated with CSO’s MusicNOW series, the Chicago Composer’s Orchestra, and
has also been a part of multiple Grammy nominated R&B recordings.
Polen has been based in Chicago since 2011, when he joined the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as
Assistant Principal Bass. Prior to moving to Chicago, he earned his Master of Music from
Indiana University and his Bachelor of Music from the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro, near his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina.