Marvin Gruenbaum
B.A. University of Missouri, Kansas City
M.M. University of Missouri, Kansas City

Member of the Orchestra Since 1982

Violist Marvin Gruenbaum has been a member of the Kansas City Symphony viola section since 1982. He graduated High School as Concertmaster of high school orchestra both his junior and senior years and went on to study Anthropology and Asian Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. During this time, he began playing Bluegrass and Jazz violin, and played in the Washington University Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Slatkin. In 1974, he dropped out and moved to Kansas City to study Classical and Jazz violin. After studying both violin and viola at the UMKC Conservatory, he graduated and played in several Country/Western bands before joining the orchestra.

He has performed as a soloist on his own "Orange Blossom Special" arrangement on 15 occasions with the Symphony, including 2007 Flint Hills, and 2009 Flint Hills. During a Symphony leave of absence, he spent six months playing Bluegrass in Japan with the "Texas Rangers." During the 90's, he played viola on a duet with Mark O'Connor at a Symphony Pops concert, and traded licks with Nigel Kennedy on an encore at a Symphony Classical concert.

He has also played violin with popular local band, "Spontaneous Combustion," until their break-up and performed a pre-Symphony show at Celebration at the Station with his own jazz band, "Station Street Jazz Ensemble."

He spends his time off from the orchestra playing jazz, and currently writing jazz arrangements for string quartet and for orchestra. He is a member of KC Federation of Musicians Board of Directors and UMKC Conservatory Alumni Board.