The Only Girl in the Orchestra

2023 0h 35m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 71★6.6IMDB · 2,797

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

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Trailblazing double bassist Orin O'Brien never wanted the spotlight, but when Leonard Bernstein hired her in 1966 as the first female musician in the New York Philarmonic, it was inevitable that she would become the focus of much interest and fascination. Now 87 years old and recently retired, Orin looks back on her remarkable life and career, insisting that a fuss should not be made, much preferring to play a supporting role to the family, students, friends, and colleagues that surround her.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Orin O'Brien
Self
Molly O'Brien
Self / Narrator
George O'Brien
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Marguerite Churchill
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Leonard Bernstein
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Molly O'Brien
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 35-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 3 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Molly O'Brien, shot by Martina Radwan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Laura Karpman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Monique Zavistovski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Orin O'Brien and Molly O'Brien and George O'Brien carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt29497240 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Molly O'Brien directs. Martina Radwan behind the camera. Laura Karpman scores. Monique Zavistovski cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 35-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 3 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Molly O'Brien, shot by Martina Radwan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Laura Karpman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Monique Zavistovski shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Orin O'Brien and Molly O'Brien and George O'Brien carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt29497240 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 71 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Martina Radwan
Original score: Laura Karpman
Editing: Monique Zavistovski
Sound: Adam Parrish King
Runtime: 35 min · 0h 35m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: The Only Girl in the Orchestra (2023)
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 2,797 votes
MPAA: G

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 3 wins & 1 nomination total

Also by

Molly O'Brien

Wild Things
2012

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-08-04
★ 6/10
Born of Hollywood Silver Screen stock - George O'Brien and Marguerite Churchill, Orin O'Brien studies ballet as a child before taking up the double bass and trailblazing for her sex to become the first woman to play for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Of course there isn't a great deal of archive of her actual performances and so we are left to survive on a sparing collection of photographs and plenty of Beethoven from the soundtrack as this half hour really only narrates what she is up to in her later years. Having retired after half a century playing, and having been on the board of the acclaimed Juliard school for a decade, she is now teaching and seems to have her late teen pupils eating from her hands. However, with her apartment succumbing to a nasty looking black mould, she is finally looking to relocate and to retire too. O'Brien comes across here as a charismatic woman with plenty to say about her struggles to get noticed and included in what was hitherto an all-male profession. That said, we don't just get a rancourous rant here. She is respectful of the talent of the others in the orchestra; readily acknowledges the importance of playing in a team (initially under Leonard Bernstein) and genuinely seems happy enough with her life and it's achievements as she looks back. This is not so much a documentary as a series of video diary style talking heads, and though interesting enough it doesn't really capture the development of her own life in music. Indeed, we see more of her parents and a very young looking John Wayne than we do her. It's clearly a labour of love from her very proud daughter Molly, and it passes half an hour - but it does underwhelm, I'm afraid.

Production companies