Mary Oda Szanto joined the San Diego Symphony in 1976. She has served as principal cello of the Cascade Festival of Music, California Ballet and San Diego Chamber Orchestras, and has performed with the Mainly Mozart Festival.
A native Californian, Ms. Szanto studied cello in Los Angeles with Eleanore Schoenfeld, Jeffrey Solow, Alexander Reisman, and Daniel Rothmuller. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from UCLA, and continued with graduate studies at Immaculate Heart College, and California State University, Los Angeles.