Rita O’Neil grew up in a small town called Binghamton, New York, but she didn’t stay for long. She first moved to Indiana for grad school then to Connecticut for her first job in the real world. Her next relocation to Delaware for another job opportunity would be short-lived as she finally settled in Frederick to be closer to her kids (and now grandchildren).
After settling in our beloved community 22 years ago, Rita became a “founding member” of the Frederick Symphony Orchestra. Today, she joins a sea of talented violinists in the FSO and Columbia Orchestra.
We sat down with busy musician to talk about her special connection to Disney and whom she’d love to duet with:
Which famous composer do you wish you could duet with?
“Saint-Saëns. I love his organ concerto, and we’re playing it this year.”
Who or what inspires you the most?
“Who inspires me the most [are] people…who have great piano talent. Playing piano, I think, means you’re basically a genius. I respect other players, too…but pianists, in my opinion, have a special gift. They can look at a page of notes – literally a blur – and make it all happen on their hands, so they inspire me to be a musician, too. I do what I can, and I love it, but I’m impressed by pianists.”
What is it about music that you love?
“I love the way it makes me feel emotions. It can bring me tears. It can make me happy. It can make me sad. It’s silly things like, at my daughter’s wedding, she and my husband had planned to do their Father/Daughter Dance to Beauty and the Beast because, if you know the movie, Belle is very much charmed by her father. She loved her father, so they danced to that…about 9 to 10 years ago. We were all in tears.
I mean that silly piece, which is so moving…I had to desensitize myself to it by listening to it literally 20 times in a row before I could listen to it and not cry. Music moves me like that.”
When did you first get involved with music?
“I started piano lessons around 5 [years old] then switched to violin later. I wasn’t good at piano.”
Where was your first concert?
“Middle school [in New York]. It was fun. I loved it, and then I joined the Youth Symphony, and that just rocked. That was like going to heaven.”
Why did you choose the violin?
“Because my mother played.”
How has music changed your life?
“In every possible way. I actually have a small business on the side where I play at weddings. I’ve done that for about 20 years, and my group is called the Frederick Strings. I do it because it’s fun.”
Listen to Rita and the rest of our orchestra in the first concert of our 20th Anniversary season on Oct. 22, 2016, in Jack B. Kussmaul Theater. Get your tickets today.