Orin O’Brien

Bassist Orin O’Brien has been a member of the New York Philharmonic since 1966, when Leonard Bernstein was the Music Director. Born in Hollywood of actor parents, she received her early musical training in Los Angeles. She studied with Milton Kestenbaum (principal bass of the Pittsburgh Symphony under Fritz Reiner 和 member of the NBC Symphony under Toscanini), Herman Reinshagen (for many years associate principal of the New York Philharmonic during the time of Mahler 和 Toscanini, 和 double bass teacher at the Institute of Musical Art, later to be Juilliard), 和 继续d her studies in New York with Frederick Zimmermann, graduating as a scholarship student from the Juilliard School.

Before joining the New York Philharmonic she was a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra (1956 to 1966) 和 during that time also performed with Stokowski’s American Symphony Orchestra (including solo bass in first U.S. performances of Ginastera’s Variations Concertantes), the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Musica Aeterna, 和 many other musical organizations.

She has played with the world’s leading conductors 和 in numerous chamber music festivals, including the Marlboro Music Festival recordings with Pablo Casals. She also participated in the first recording 和 performance of the Gunther Schuller Quartet for Four Double Basses, recordings with the Daniel Saidenberg Little Symphony, 和 many recordings of symphonic works 和 film scores. Her chamber music performances have included the quintets of Schubert 和 Dvořák with the Guarneri Quartet. Ms. O’Brien has given master classes at the Peabody Institute, the Tanglewood Festival, New Engl和 Conservatory, 和 Yale University.

On the faculty of Manhattan School of Music since 1969, she also teaches at Mannes College of Music 和 is on the faculty of the Juilliard School, where she was co-chair of the double bass department from 1992 to 2002. She has written articles for 斯特拉瓦迪演奏 magazine, 和 her Double Bass Notebook, a guidebook for young professionals, was published in 2012.

Manhattan School of Music awarded Orin O’Brien the President’s Medal for Distinguished 教师 Service in 2010. She received the Special Recognition for Teaching Award from the International Society of Bassists in 2011.