Meet the Musicians

James Pipkin
Violin

James Pipkin, Assistant Concertmaster, began studying violin at an early age in his native town of Lubbock, Texas. His early studies began with Mitchell Zablotny and Dorothy Sumerlin. He attended Baylor University and the University of Chattanooga, and earned a degree from the Conservatory of Music in Vienna, Austria. His teachers were Lino Bartoli, Junius Hegyi, and Prof. Franz Samohyl, respectively. While in Vienna he played with Vienna Radio Orchestra.

Upon completion of his studies, he served in the Army and was stationed in Germany, where he performed with the Deutsche Bundeswehr Orchestra, as well as Special Forces productions of musicals in Heidelberg and Nuremberg. After completing his tour of duty in 1965, he returned to Texas to become a member of the San Antonio Symphony.

Mr. Pipkin has been a member of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra since 1969. He has taught at Birmingham-Southern College. He has also played and taught at various music festivals. James resides in Birmingham with his wife, Marilyn, and their two children.