Eric Gordon Brahinsky

Born March 9, 1956, Dallas TX

Attended private preschool (The Children's Center, Dallas) and public schools of the Dallas Independent School District: Hexter, Sanger, and Conner Elementaries; Gaston Junior High; Skyline High School / Career Development Center. Religious education at Temple Emanu-El, Dallas. Private violin lessons beginning at age 6; later studied clarinet and oboe privately. Participated extensively in curricular and extracurricular musical activities throughout childhood (and a few non-musical ones as well). At Skyline, enrolled in magnet programs in music (2 years) and mathematics (1 year). Graduated Skyline as valedictorian, 1974.

Attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 1974–76 on National Merit Scholarship and McDermott Scholarship. Humanities major with emphases in music and science. During this time studied violin privately with Kenneth Sarch at Boston University.

Transferred to University of Houston 1976. Began as music education major, then switched after one semester to violin performance major. Violin studies with Fredell Lack. Graduated with Bachelor of Music summa cum laude, 1978. Remained at UH and earned Master of Music in violin performance, 1979.

From 1980 to 1983, free-lanced as a violinist in Houston. Toured nationally with Texas Opera Theater as orchestra member (concertmaster in final season). Played numerous productions with Houston Grand Opera, and was assistant principal second violin of Texas Chamber Orchestra. Left Houston in December 1983 for a short stint in a trio at a resort hotel in West Virginia. Back to Dallas for six months, then to San Antonio for a one-year position in the San Antonio Symphony (1984–85). One year free-lancing in Dallas, then positions in Virginia Symphony and Opera (Norfolk) (1986–87), Jacksonville Symphony (1987–89), and San Antonio Symphony (1989–99), with professional summer musical festivals in and around Lake George NY, Des Moines IA, Boone NC, and Carmel CA interspersed.

Married April Abraham, piano teacher and pianist, October 1995.

Enrolled at University of Texas at San Antonio in 1995 as mathematics major. Earned Bachelor of Science magna cum laude in Mathematics, 1997.

Ended full-time symphony employment in 1999 due to chronic back pain triggered and/or exacerbated by injuries sustained in an accidental fall in 1997, but continued to free-lance as a violinist and to teach violin privately until retiring in 2021. Earlier tutored high school-level mathematics privately and consulted part-time on mathematics examinations with a local publisher of educational tests.

Continues to maintain interests in music, mathematics, science, genealogy, wordplay, and reading.


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