The Stories That Matter film series opens the 2025-26 academic year on Wednesday, October 8, with the screening of the Academy Award® winning Netflix documentary “The Only Girl in the Orchestra,” at 6:30 p.m. in the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.
Winner of the Oscar® for Documentary Short, the film tells the story of double bassist Orin O’Brien, who when hired by Leonard Bernstein in 1966, became the first full-time female musician in the history of the New York Philharmonic. Joining 103 male musicians, Orin inevitably became the focus of media attention and, ultimately, one of the most renowned musicians of her generation. “The Only Girl in the Orchestra” is a window into the trailblazing life of a low-key musical legend.
A panel discussion will follow the screening and will include the film’s director, Molly O’Brien, who is also the Emmy Award-winning Head of Documentary at NBC News Studios; Nina DeCesare, a faculty member from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and a double bassist with the Baltimore Symphony; and Orin O’Brien, the subject of the documentary, joining virtually from New York City. Moderated by Sig Libowitz, director of JHU’s MA in Film and Media program, the event will also include musical interludes from students of the Peabody Institute.
“We’re excited to begin another year bringing award-winning films and thought-provoking stories and storytellers to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Center and the broader Washington, D.C. community through our Stories That Matter film series,” Libowitz said. “And this a wonderful way to kick things off, with the compelling and heartwarming story of Orin O’Brien’s grit, dignity, and undeniable talent.”
The Stories That Matter film series is designed to cultivate robust public dialogue among filmmakers, scholars, students, policy stakeholders, and citizens. The curated program of international cinema presents narrative features, documentaries, and short films. Anchored at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center, select films will also be presented at Johns Hopkins campuses in Baltimore and in Bologna, Italy. The series is programmed by Libowitz and Julia Pacetti, a leader in the international film industry with a distinguished record of connecting groundbreaking stories with audiences worldwide, and an alumna of the Johns Hopkins MA in Government program.