Cellist Ruth Lane was born in Boston to classical music-loving parents who first met at a music camp in Interlochen, Michigan. Weaned on classical music recordings, she had internalized the music of Beethoven's nine symphonies and assorted works by Bartók, Brahms, Schumann, and Bach even before she could speak.
As a child, Ruth loved Beethoven most of all. Once the family moved to Cleveland, she accompanied her parents to performances of his music, and listened intently as her mother played Beethoven sonatas on the piano. Finally, when she was eight and old enough to practice without being nagged, her parents ceded to her pleas to take piano lessons. Flute came next.
Finally, when Ruth heard cello, she knew it was the instrument for her. As she explains, perhaps to the chagrin of pianists worldwide, "With the piano, you could hit a note and that was it. With the cello, I could sing on that note and be so much more expressive!"
Ruth's first teacher was Cleveland orchestra member Donald White, who was also the first African-American to play in an American orchestra. She attended orchestral concerts often, deepening her knowledge of repertoire. Across the street lived trumpeter Charles (Charlie) Schlueter, who eventually left the Cleveland Orchestra to become principal trumpet in Boston under Ozawa. Her family often visited Charlie's, where they'd join with others to form a small orchestra that would accompany Charlie in concertos. Ruth's brother, best friend, and future husband all studied trumpet with Charlie and played together at these gatherings.
After her family moved to Los Angeles, Ruth decided to pursue a professional career. She received her Bachelor's and Master's in Music degrees from USC while spending her summers on fellowship to the Aspen Music Festival, Piatigorsky Seminar, and the Banff Music Festival. Her teachers included Joseph Ditullio; Eleonore Schoenfeld, Gabor Rejto, and Lynn Harrell at USC, and William Pleeth (teacher of her idol, Jacqueline du Pré) in England.
Ruth has been playing with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 1990. She has also been principal cello with the Carmel Bach Festival and the Fresno Philharmonic, and has been heard in recital in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and London. Strad magazine calls her "a cellist of scrupulous intentions and dexterous manual coordination . . . unimpeachable intonation and admirable poise."
Ruth resides north of San Francisco, in the country near Petaluma, with her husband and two children.