Bass player Orin O’Brien.
In Monday’s (2/17) Guardian (U.K.), Imogen Tilden writes, “One of the most fascinating, inspirational and talented creatives nominated for an Oscar this year will not be at the ceremony on 2 March. ‘Oh, I’m not going…. I’ll be 90 in June,’ says Orin O’Brien, double bassist and the star of nominated short documentary The Only Girl in the Orchestra…. Over Zoom, she looks and sounds more than capable of flying the plane there herself…. O’Brien has never sought the bright lights. Her chosen instrument, the double bass, means she sits at the back of the orchestra, providing harmonies and structure…. Yet she has found herself sticking out, like it or not. In 1966, aged 31, O’Brien made history by becoming the first woman to be employed full-time at the New York Philharmonic, then 104 members…. She was a member of the orchestra for 55 years; this film, made by her niece Molly O’Brien, is a tribute to a remarkable life lived seeking to be unremarkable. ‘I chose the double bass because I liked the idea of playing with other musicians. I didn’t have ambition to be a soloist….’ says O’Brien, who started playing the instrument at 16…. She joined the Philharmonic with 10 years’ orchestral experience playing already under her belt.”
