Erin Furbee

Erin Furbee joined the Oregon Symphony as Assistant Concertmaster in 2001. Originally from Chicago, she began studying the violin at age 4 with Rebecca Sandrock. She continued her studies with George Perlman and Betty Lambert until going to college.

She attended the University of Michigan for two years, studying with Jacob Krachmalnick, and transferred to Rice University where she received her B.M. working with Camilla Wicks. She went on to attend the University of Minnesota as a Graduate Fellow, her teachers being Roland and Almita Vamos. While in school, she was Assistant Concertmaster of the Saginaw Symphony Orchestra, and played occasionally with the New World and Houston Pops Symphony Orchestras. Her summers were spent at the Round Top Festival, Aspen Music Festival, the Quartet Program, Music Academy of the West, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. Other teachers include: Raphael Fliegal, Donald Weilerstein, Paul Kantor, Charles Castleman, and Stuart Canin.

Furbee got her first job in 1992 with the Colorado Symphony where she played until 2000. She also played with the Milwaukee Symphony for the 1995-96 season. While in Denver, she played chamber music with the Colorado Chamber Players, the Modern Music Festival, and the Mariposa Piano Trio. She also co-founded a four-piece Tango band called Extasis, which played for a large Argentine Tango community of dancers. In 1999, she traveled to Buenos Aires for a month to play and study with members of several tango orchestras including El Arranque and Sexteto Sur. She also spent her summers playing such festivals as Strings in the Mountains and the Bloch and Cabrillo Festivals.

Furbee has also performed as a soloist with the Oregon Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, and the University of Minnesota Symphony Orchestras. Besides playing in the orchestra, she teaches at Portland State University and is forming a group called Tango Pacifico to continue her passion for tango music. She will be attending the Bellingham Festival of Music this summer, and enjoys hiking and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Oregon Symphony violinist Matthew Faust.