Biography

Orin O'Brien is known for Live from Lincoln Center (1976), The Only Girl in the Orchestra (2023) and Today (1952).

She has given master classes at the Peabody Institute, the Tanglewood Festival, New England Conservatory, and Yale University. She teaches at Mannes College of Music, and is on the faculty of the Juilliard School, where she was co-chair of the double bass department from 1992 to 2002.

She was the first woman to join the New York Philharmonic, in 1966. As of 2015, she is still with the orchestra; she is a double bassist. Previously, she performed with the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Ballet, among other ensembles. She attended UCLA and Juilliard.

Sister of writer Darcy O'Brien.

Daughter of film stars George O'Brien and Marguerite Churchill.