Oregon Symphony Musician Bio

Eileen Deiss

Violin

Eileen Deiss remembers seeing a violin for the first time and thinking, “This is it!”

A member of the Oregon Symphony since 1976, Eileen began playing at age 5 and grew up in a musical setting. She played with her mother, a pianist, and attended Los Angeles Philharmonic concerts and recitals. Eileen was involved with the school music programs, local youth orchestras and private lessons with Leona Neblett. With a music scholarship, Eileen attended the University of California at Santa Barbara and graduated with a bachelor of arts in music performance.

After graduating, Eileen moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and began taking lessons with Frank Houser of the San Francisco Symphony. She spent a year obtaining her California teaching certificate and began teaching children in elementary school. Over the course of the next eight years, Eileen furthered her studies in the Los Angeles area with Eudice Shapiro, Joaquin Chassman and Meli Mehta. “Private teachers were very important,” she says. She also played with many community orchestras and smaller ensembles in the Los Angeles area.

When Eileen and her husband moved to Portland in 1976, she taught in the Portland area schools for a year and became a member of the Oregon Symphony. She also freelanced in other Portland area groups. When she’s not performing, rehearsing or teaching, Eileen enjoys her family life with her husband and visiting with their two sons.

Biography