Robert Schumitzky is a member of the First Violin section of the Pacific Symphony, a position he has held for the past 30 years. He has also been a member of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra since its inception in 1991. Previously, he has performed with the orchestras of St Louis, San Diego, and Columbus. In April 2018, Mr Schumitzky joined the Pacific Symphony in their Carnegie Hall debut followed by the orchestra's first tour to mainland China.
Rob has been Pacific Symphony’s Union Steward since 1998. Over the many years he has been elected to serve on numerous committees. He currently serves as a musician representative on the symphony’s Board of Directors and Strategic Planning Committee. Rob has been Pacific Symphony’s ICSOM delegate since 2021 when the orchestra was brought into ICSOM membership. He also serves as a Trustee on Local 7’s Board of Directors.
Rob began playing the violin at the age of 7 in the St Louis County public school music program. In his teen years, he became a member of the St Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra under the direction of both Leonard Slatkin and Gerhardt Zimmermann. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School where he studied with Sally Thomas and Ivan Galamian. Mr Schumitzky received his MM degree, as a student of Jacques Israelievitch, from the St Louis Conservatory of Music.
Mr Schumitzky is an active chamber musician and a founding member of the Aviara Trio formed in 2008 with his wife, cellist Erin Breene, and pianist, Ines Irawati. The trio has performed on Southern California’s most prominent chamber music series. Most recently, the trio was honored to perform at the Hollywood Bowl on Celebrate LA, Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 100-year anniversary celebration.
Rob resides in Newport Beach with his wife, Erin Breene, and enjoys playing ice hockey in his spare time.
Photo credit: Ralph Palumbo
