Eric Arbiter was born in Yonkers, New York in 1950. He has played with the Houston Symphony as Associate Principal bassoonist since 1974 and performed with them as soloist on several occasions. He was named Acting Principal Bassoonist for the 1999 season, and continued in that position from the 2001-through the 2007 season.
He attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, toured with Music from Marlboro in 1973. He then received a scholarship at the Juilliard School of Music and completed his Masters of Music at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1973 where he was also on scholarship. He performed with Peter Serkin at Alice Tully Hall on a chamber music recital in New York in 1973.
Mr. Arbiter has performed as a chamber musician with Da Camera, the Harvard Chamber Players, the San Antonio Chamber Players, and the Greenbriar Players. Orchestral experience includes the Marlboro Music Festival Orchestra under Pablo Casals and Alexander Schneider, the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, the Ohio Chamber Orchestra and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Houston Chamber Orchestra.
He served as Assistant Professor of Music at the Shepherd School of Music and chair of the wind department from 1975—1996 teaching Bassoon from 1974—1985 and Woodwind Repertory and Chamber Music from 1985—1996. He taught at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music while on sabbatical from the Houston Symphony in 1986. He has recently taught master classes at the University of Texas and Austin and the University of Houston for the American Music Festival.
Photography became a passion while at Oberlin. Mostly self-taught, he has several photographic mentors through their work and writings. He has had 8 one-man shows in Houston and one in Austin. His most recent exhibits were entitled A Visual Musical Offering (2006) and Two Views (2010). A Visual Musical Offering was inspired by Bach’s music translating the formal aspects of fugal writing into visual images. Two Views was a collaboration with his college friend and roommate of three recent trips they took together (the subjects seen from two different perspectives) and some retrospective prints form their days at Oberlin. He has produced several projects in conjunction with the Houston Symphony and is currently producing portraits of all of the musicians for the organization’s website, programs and display in the lobby.
