Violinist Ruth Zeger joined the Houston Symphony in 1981. Before moving to Houston, she played several seasons with the Kansas City Philharmonic, where she was a member of the first violin section, and on many occasions, was acting concert master. She began her musical studies in her native Los Angeles, starting on piano and switching to the violin at the age of nine. From the minute her elementary school music teacher added winds to the string orchestra, she was hooked on orchestral playing. While attending California State University, Northridge, she played in seven of the forty one community orchestras in the LA area, including the Pasadena Symphony and the American Youth Orchestra. While still in college, she had many opportunities to record for movie soundtracks, albums, and commercials. Also, she was one of just three violinists performing during summers, holidays, and on weekends, at Disneyland, which helped put her through college and made it possible to purchase her beautiful Italian violin.
Ms. Zeger is part owner of an entertainment agency with her husband, Dave, a cellist in the Houston Ballet Orchestra. She also teaches viloin and strives to pass along the relaxation techniques she learned from studying with Hungarian violinist and teacher, Kato Havas in Oxford, England and in Brattleboro, VT. Ruth spends her summers traveling, mostly to Cornwall, England, to visit long time friends. She has participated in several summer music festivals over the years, among them the Aspen Festival, Grand Teton Festival, and the Colorado Music Festival, in Boulder. She has two children, Leah, a violinsit and singer, and Adam, who works in stage lighting and sound, is a DJ, and plays the drums.
