new cellist joins symphony

Marilyn de Oliveira

We know that we’re lucky to have Marilyn de Oliveira join us as our new Assistant principal (or as one dubious friend of mine likes to say “ass prince”) cellist this season. She’s a vital and sensitive artist, but also brings a brilliant smile and equally brilliant wardrobe to the section as well. What’s more, she also brings back her husband, cellist Trevor Fitzpatrick, who was already in the OSO section, but on leave to be with her in San Antonio last season. I happened upon this review of a sort of farewell concert that she gave in San Antonio this past August, and it reaffirmed what a great coup we’ve achieved in gaining this wonderful cellist. I feel bad for San Antonio for losing Marilyn, but that’s tempered by our gain.

Here’s the opening of the review from that performance:

Marilyn de Oliveira has a lot to say.

Sunday night at Ruth Taylor Recital Hall at Trinity University cellist Marilyn de Oliveira set for herself several extraordinarily difficult tasks. She wanted to say farewell to San Antonio, her friends at Laurel Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church and the San Antonio Symphony before departing for Portland and her new position as Assistant Principal Cello with the Oregon Symphony. She wanted to present two hours of very difficult solo and duo cello music. She wanted to play an entire recital without piano. According to her excellent and very personal program notes, she said she wanted to “pay tribute to my time in San Antonio.” And, it goes without saying; she wanted to offer her final San Antonio audience a moving and entertaining performance.

Read the entire posting here.