Oboe

Ensemble experience is an essential component of Oberlin’s professional training; starting in the first semester, each student is assigned to and rotated through the major ensembles, one person per part. Oboe students may pursue solo performances through the annual Concerto Competition and can play in at least six of the more than two dozen performance ensembles on campus.

Individualized instruction is a hallmark of the conservatory. Students learn the art of balancing technical skills with natural musical growth and experience. The chief goal through private study is to help students progress in all phases of performing: technique, style, musicianship, interpretation, and repertoire. Oboe students have access to and instruction on auxiliary instruments including English horn, oboe d'amore, and heckelphone. This exposure ensures that Oberlin woodwind students are prepared for the greatest possible variety of professional opportunities.

Each year, prominent oboists from across the country spend time on Oberlin's campus leading master classes and meeting with oboe students. In recent years, these artists have included Nathan Hughes and Elaine Douvas, principal oboists with the Metropolitan Opera; Eugene Izotov, principal oboe, of the San Francisco Symphony; Chris Philpotts, principal English horn of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Robert Atherholt, former principal oboe of the Houston Symphony; and William Welter, principal oboe of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.