A conversation with Erin Breene
Principal Cellist, Orchestra Nova
 Tell us about your “growing up” years. Where did you live and what was your family life like?
My dad is a retired farmer who also worked for the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and my mom worked as a social worker. They live on the family farm of a few hundred acres in Adams, Wisconsin, where they grow and sell all of their own vegetables.
I have an older brother, Sam, who is a violinist who was just appointed as Professor of Musicology at the University of Rhode Island.
As a child, I always played music. It was an important part of my life, but I still had time to play with my friends, watch TV, all of the normal “kid” things. But what I loved most of all was just being outside. I spent most weekends outdoors helping out and running around in the fields. I developed an absolute love of nature and the idea of “wilderness.”
My family also owned a small cabin with no electricity or running water in the upper peninsula of Michigan in a very isolated area. We spent our days fishing and hiking in the great outdoors. I would also sit on the front porch and read for hours. Those are some of my best memories.
What were some of your early childhood music experiences?
Although I don’t remember it, they tell me that I began “playing” the cello when I was 15 months old, using the Suzuki method, with a cello that was actually a detergent box with a yardstick stuck through the end and a wooden stick as a bow. I was sort of an experiment in the program. At the age of two, I graduated to a cello converted from a viola.
What was your formal training as a young adult?
During my college years, I mostly just practiced a lot! I was so inspired by my teachers at both Rice and Juilliard. One of my best experiences was attending Tanglewood Institute. I was playing all day long under conductors like Seigei Ozawa, Andre Previn, James Conlan and others. My Chair at the festival was sponsored by none other than James Taylor. He came to introduce himself after a concert. How cool is that? James Taylor was waiting backstage to meet me!
What one thing would we find surprising or unexpected about you?
Probably that Bob Dylan is my favorite non-classical musician and composer. I seem to identify with him in some strange, unexplainable way. I have seen him perform live four times, have read multiple biographies and have spent so much time listening to his songs. I continue to find new meaning in his lyrics.
How about one more thing about you that might interest us?
I am a huge fan of California wines, and I’ve visited wine regions of Napa, Santa Barbara County and the Carmel/Monterrey region in search of the best Pinot Noir. |
