Doug Riggs, Horn

3rd Horn Doug Riggs first played with the Columbia Symphony in 1983. "The orchestra was called the Palatine Hill Symphony back then, and it rehearsed and performed at Lewis and Clark," Riggs noted. "We did some big works, Mahler, St. Saens, Bruckner and a lot of music with great French horn parts. Our conductor at the time, Jerry Luedders, insisted that we perform at a high level. In a lot of ways, that's exactly what's going on with the orchestra today. We play great music and the level of the orchestra continues to improve each year."

After his four-year stint with Columbia/Palatine, Doug spent more than a decade living in Washington, D.C., where he played as a freelance horn player, and also worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative director for three U.S. Congressmen. He performed regularly at the Kennedy Center, the National Theatre and even at the White House.

Doug moved back to Portland in 1998, and has performed locally with Columbia, the Vancouver Symphony, the Portland Chamber Orchestra and as a frequent substitute with the Oregon Symphony. He is also a long-time member of the Cascade Festival of Music, conducted by Murry Sidlin. "Portland is a great place to raise a family, and a great place to play in a fantastic orchestra like Columbia. We're extremely lucky to have such a great organization right here in our community."

Doug owns a small public relations and lobbying firm ("something has to pay the bills"), and serves as a member of the Washington County Commission on Children and Families.