‘I never let a man carry my double bass’: Oscar-hopeful Orin O’Brien on making music – and history
She caused a sensation in 1966 when she joined the New York Phil and its 103 male musicians. Now the double bassist is the star of The Only Girl in the Orchestra, a documentary nominated for an Academy Award
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. No, no, no. I’ll be 90 in June, my dear,” says Orin O’Brien, double bassist and the star of nominated short documentary The Only Girl in the Orchestra. “That’s no excuse,” I tell her. Over Zoom, she looks and sounds more than capable of flying the plane there herself. “No. You couldn’t get me on a plane these days. People are so badly behaved. I’m staying here in my nice apartment in New York. I will cook dinner for my friends in the orchestra. Some students will come over.”
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. One scene shows her telling her students: “You don’t want to stick out. You’re a support for what else is going on. You’re the floor under everybody that would collapse if it wasn’t secure.”
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