Robert O’Brien

Rob O’Brien joined the DSO in 2023 as Assistant Principal Timpani/Section Percussion. Before coming to Dallas, Rob was the Principal Percussionist of the Omaha Symphony for 4 seasons and also spent 1 season a member of the Houston Ballet Orchestra. He has been a Global Academy Fellow with the New York Philharmonic, and has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the St. Louis Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, the San Antonio Symphony, and the Hawaii Symphony. His summer engagements have included fellowships at the National Repertory Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center.

Originally from Fairfield, CT, Rob holds degrees from Boston University, New England Conservatory, and Rice University, and his teachers include Tim Genis, Will Hudgins, Matthew Strauss, Sam Solomon, and Richard Flanagan. Rob is a proud endorser of Zildjian Cymbals. In his spare time he enjoys playing piano, golfing, fly fishing, reading and cooking.