Remembering Nathan Rubin -- master violinist and populist

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jan 27, 2006

WHAT IF one were to see the same person playing first chair violin with a respected classical symphony orchestra one night, only to spot him enthusiastically bowing an amplified violin in a rock band a few nights later?

"Not likely!" most people would say.

Their tunes would change, however, after hearing tales about the late Nathan Rubin, (1929 -2005), who for more than 40 years was concertmaster for the Oakland Symphony, as well as its latter-day incarnation as the Oakland East Bay Symphony.

But -- and here's the kicker -- Rubin was sighted wielding his trusty bow on tour with Van Morrison and his band back in the 1970s. Yet he also could be found playing Bach, Mozart and Beethoven as well as works by such avant-garde composers as Luciano Berio, with numerous combinations of dedicated classical chamber musicians.

He performed with the San Francisco Symphony and Opera orchestras, the Joffrey and San Francisco ballet orchestras, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Skywalker Orchestra and the Golden Gate Theater Orchestra.

Among his many awards were a San Francisco Critics Award and a Hertz Award from the University of California. The city of Oakland declared April 8, 1993, "Nathan Rubin Day."

At 3 p.m. Sunday, some of Rubin's closest colleagues and collaborators will gather to present a "Nathan Rubin Memorial Concert" in the University Theatre on the California State University East Bay campus, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward. Admission is free; the concert's open to the public. Call (510) 885- 3167.

Among the featured musicians are violinists Paul Brancato, Debbie Spangler, Debbie Dare, Kitty Jowe and Roy Oakley; cellists Lawrence Granger, Joseph Hebert and Dan Reiter; pianists Victor Romasevich, Ellen Wassermann and Eleanor Cohen; violist Joseph Gold; and harpist Janice Ortega.

The Oakland-born-and-bred Rubin began his remarkable career with a solo recital at Oakland's Chapel of the Chimes. The culminating piece on his debut program happened to be Paganini's "Moto perpetuo" (Perpetual Motion), which indeed turned out to be a leitmotif for his entire life.

He attended Durant Elementary School, Hoover Junior High School and Oakland Technical High School. Neither his watchmaker father nor his mother was particularly musical.

But when Nathan was only 5, they gave him a quarter-size violin and took him for lessons with Theodore Anderson. Soon after, he began studying with Frederick Creitz, who guided the then 7-year- old Rubin to win a major violin competition in San Francisco. Eventually, Rubin was awarded a scholarship to study at Juilliard School of Music.

During his productive lifetime, Rubin performed alongside Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Stacy Latisaw, Sly Stone, the Pointer Sisters, Patti LaBelle, Diana Ross, Jerry Garcia and a host of other popular musical stars. He has also been spotted sitting among the strings of a big-name pop orchestra playing dance music for San Francisco socialites as well as in concertmaster chairs for orchestras recording soundtracks for "Star Wars," "Back to the Future," "Soapdish" and "Predator 2." He also served as conductor and violinist for the soundtrack of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

Yet the remarkable Rubin was elegant and genteel in his bearing and demeanor. In fact, when I first met him, I thought that he could have been comfortably cast in a "Masterpiece Theatre" production as the elegant British butler in a 19th-century mansion.

Teaching was another of his passions. He taught at Mills College and UC Berkeley for many years, and from 1974 until his death Oct. 13, 2005, he was a respected and beloved member of the California State University East Bay music faculty where he taught classes that ranged from classical violin to the evolution of rock 'n' roll.

In spite of what could seem like a total preoccupation with music, Rubin was a dedicated family man with two grown daughters from his first marriage and a very musical daughter with his second wife, Martha Henninger.

Once I asked Rubin about his unusually eclectic musical tastes. He answered, "I guess it has to do with my dislike of musical elitism."

I hope there are violins, as well as harps, in heaven.

Come to Castro Valley

Music lovers in Castro Valley and beyond are revving up for a flashy night of music celebrating the grand opening of their new Castro Valley Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Featured artists will be the spectacular piano duo (also husband and wife) Mark Anderson and Tamriko Siprashvilli.

The black-tie-optional event will include a post-performance celebration. Tickets, proceeds of which will benefit the new facility, are $100. Call (510) 537-3335, ext. 1749, or visit http:// www.cvartsfoundation.org.

Berkeley sounds

Berkeley's buzzing this weekend as conductor George Thomson readies the Berkeley Symphony for a concert at 8 p.m. Saturday at Zellerbach Hall.

"From Bach to Carter" will include Bach's beloved Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, with violist Thomson performing as well as conducting; Elliott Carter's Piano Concerto with Jerry Kuderna as soloist; Edgard Varese's "Octandre" for eight wind instruments; and Stravinsky's "Firebird."