Robin Sutherland
Jean & Bill Lane Chair
Robin Sutherland
Principal Keyboards, Jean & Bill Lane Chair
Member since 1973
Hometown: Denver, Colorado
On being in the SFS:
My life has been a very odd series of me being in the right place at the right time, including getting my job here. I studied at the SF Conservatory, where Mack McCray was on the piano faculty. He was scheduled to play Hindemith’s Kammermusik No. 1 with the SFS, but fell ill. The SFS made an urgent call to Milton Salkind, then president of the Conservatory, for a substitute. I happened to be standing in the hall outside Salkind’s office, reading a letter from my mother, when suddenly, a door flung open and Salkind stuck his head out—I was the only one there. As it happened, I knew the piece. The gig went well and the Symphony began to call me for other performances. Later, I was asked to go on tour with the SFS and Seiji Ozawa to play the solo in the Ives Fourth Symphony, and it was a big success. Ozawa was the one who first appointed me to the position, and I’ve been on board ever since. This is the only job I’ve ever had—my resume consists of one line!