A native of San Francisco, Liam Boisset has performed in many of the world’s great concert halls. Recently he served as guest Principal Oboe with the Los Angeles Philharmonic – including two international tours – as well as the Metropolitan Opera, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, and the Calgary Philharmonic. Mr. Boisset also regularly performs in supporting roles with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony. In the past, Mr. Boisset has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Every summer, Mr. Boisset looks forward to teaching and performing alongside Elaine Douvas at Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel, California. He was also a featured teacher and performer in the inaugural season of the Juilliard Summer Winds festival this past summer. He has been awarded fellowships at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Tanglewood Music Center, and was recently a featured guest artist at ChamberFest Cleveland. Mr. Boisset studied with Elaine Douvas at the Juilliard School and Eugene Izotov at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Liam Boisset proudly performs on a Howarth XL Cocobolo VT.
Ari Cohen Mann (they/them) brings brightness and optimism through their popular Instagram and YouTube channel. Ari has been hailed as the “Jonathan Van Ness of the oboe” (CBC Music) and proudly projects their queer identity as a role model for LGBTQ youth. Ari is a frequent recitalist, new music proponent, orchestral musician, and teacher based in Toronto. Ari was recently named on CBC’s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30. Ari is a Howarth Artist and plays on a Howarth LXV-VT oboe.
Inspired by the variety of sounds and colours of the oboe, Ari is passionate about advancing the instrument as a solo voice in recitals and chamber music. Ari’s solo debut at Carnegie Hall was with harpist Noël Wan, as featured artists in the Yale in New York series. As a winner of the Yale Chamber Music Competition, Ari performed the monumental Prokofiev Quintet on the subscription Oneppo Chamber Music Series. At the Orford Festival, they shared the stage with Alex Klein, James Campbell, and Stéphane Lévesque. At the Brott Music Festival, Ari was a featured soloist for J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti Nos. 1 & 2.
Ari was a prizewinner at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Manulife Competition, and the winner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition and Ben Steinberg Musical Legacy Award. They were a semi-finalist in the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition.
A champion of new music and lesser-known solo music for the oboe and English horn, Ari has been fortunate to premiere pieces by Jocelyn Morlock, Nicky Sohn, Matthew Emery, and Liliya Ugay. Ari has fostered a partnership with the Yarilo Contemporary Music Society in Vancouver, BC as both a featured recitalist and ensemble member for Steve Reich’s Tehillim. Ari has served as guest principal oboe with the Esprit Orchestra.
Feeling equally at home within the orchestra, Ari cherishes performing with ensembles in Canada and abroad. In Ontario, Ari has appeared with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestras of Toronto, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, Niagara, and Windsor. Their festival appearances include The National Repertory Orchestra (Breckenridge, Colorado), L’Orchestre de la Francophonie, The National Academy Orchestra of Canada, and The National Youth Orchestra of Canada where they received the Award of Excellence. Outside of North America, they have toured to India, China, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Portugal.
Ari is a recent addition to the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University as Oboe Instructor. Ari has previously held positions as an Oboe Instructor at Yale College and as a Teaching Artist at the Yale Music in Schools Initiative. They proudly serve as a Mentor for the National Academy Orchestra of Canada. Ari is a frequent clinician at arts high schools in the Greater Toronto Area.
Ari is a graduate of the prestigious Artist Diploma program at the Yale School of Music. They completed their Master of Music at Mannes School of Music and their Bachelor of Music at the University of British Columbia where they were awarded the UBC Medal in Music. Ari’s teachers and mentors include Sarah Jeffrey, Stephen Taylor, Sherry Sylar, and Beth Orson.
Thomas Davey is the principal cor anglais for The Hallé.
Arnaldo de Felice is a foremost Italian oboist and composer, born in Florence. In 1984 he became principal oboist of the Symphony Orchestra “Arturo Toscanini” in Parma, Italy. He obtained his Diploma with highest mention from the Conservatory “G.B. Martini” in Bologna in 1986, after which he continued his studies with Lothar Koch at the “Mozarteum” in Salzburg. After November 1986, he held teaching positions at several Italian Music Conservatories. Since 1989 Arnaldo de Felice has been Professor of Oboe at the Music Conservatory “C. Monteverdi” in Bolzano.
Phil Feather is Professor of OboeProfessor at the California State University, Los Angeles
Daniel Fuster
Professor at Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona, ESMAR ( Escuela Superior de Música de Alto Rendimiento ),Valencia , Trío Ditiramb
Melissa Hooper is Assistant Principal Oboe at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
After graduating Kunitachi College of Music in 1995, he completed his studies at Conservatoire de Musique of Geneve. Here, he received 1st. prize and Henri Brolier special award.
Principal oboist of Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra since 1999, principal of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006.
Special prize at Tokyo International Oboe Competition in 2000, Valois de Paris special at Toulon International Competition, and 1st prize at the Japan wind and percussion competition in 2002.
Studied under Takehiko Nitori, Seizou Maruyama, Maurice Bourgue, Roland Pernoud.
Oboist of Trio l’esperance and Duo Reverence.
Kirstie grew up in Essex but has returned to her father’s hometown of Glasgow. From a musical family she began playing the piano at the age of 4 and took up the oboe when she was 12. Her studies continued at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester under the tuition of Peter Graeme, (a member of English Chamber Orchestra and the original oboist for Benjamin Britten’s chamber operas). At the R.N.C.M. Kirstie was awarded The Frederick Nixon Black prize and graduated with a G.R.N.C.M. Hons. Since graduating she has been a guest freelancer with R.O.H. Covent Garden, R.P.O., R.L.P.O., R.S.N.O., W.N.O., BBCPHIL, BBCSSO S.C.O., and Scottish Ballet.In 1995 Kirstie was appointed Principal 2nd oboe and cor anglais with The Orchestra of Scottish Opera. Kirstie is oboe professor at St. Andrews University and is also a regular external examiner and deputy teacher at the R.C.S. In addition to her music making she graduated as a BSc Hons in Psychology at The Open University in 2012.
Born in Italy, Marika Lombardi studied at the National School of Music in Milan where she was awarded the first prize for oboe and for chamber music. Her career commenced in 1988 with a successful solo tour. She then studied at a number of schools in Paris, from which she was awarded several first prizes (Conservatoire National de Région de St Maur, Ecole Nationale de Musique de Montreuil, Ville de Paris).
To perfect her technique, Marika studied with masters such as Pierre Pierlot, Hansjörg Schellenberger, Maurice Bourgue, Ingo Goritzki, Lothar Koch and Sergiu Celibidache. Prize winner at several international oboe and chamber music competitions, she was awarded a distinction at the international chamber music competition of Paris. Additionally, Marika was a prize winner at the Cziffra Foundation. Marika Lombardi plays regularly in chamber music and orchestral concerts in France and in Europe and gives master classes.
She has played also with leading musicians including Bruno Canino, Frank Braley, Sylvie Gazeau, Henry Demarquette, Nathalie Dang. Since 2000, Marika has been the artistic director of the international music academy and festival « Risonanze Armoniche » in Lasino (Italy) and of the oboe festival in Paris « OBOE ». She has performed in many music festivals in Europe and has performed in the United States . Marika Lombardi has been teaching oboe in Paris since 1992 at the Conservatoire Municipal du Centre and du 9ème de Paris as well as at the national schools of music in Pantin and Chantilly, the CRR d’Aubervilliers and the Scola Cantorum. She received her National musical diploma for teaching in 1999. In 2012 she was invited to teach a master class at N.Y. University. Her cd SOLO has been chosen for several radio broadcasts, including those on France Musique (France) and Rai 3 Suite ( Italy). She plays a Howarth-London oboe.
Chananat Meenanan is principal oboist in the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra
Ewan comes from Reading and has been playing the oboe since he was eight, firstly with Nicky Fairbairn and now with Melanie Ragge. He was the winner of the Woodwind Category Final of the BBC Young Musician 2020. He read Music at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, where he played in several ensembles, including the Oxford University Orchestra and a wind quintet, sung in the college choir and played piano in a jazz trio.
Robert Morgan is solo English horn and assistant principal oboe for the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra. He is also principal oboist for the Music of the Baroque and Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra. Robert is a frequent soloist with numerous area orchestras and musical organizations and has performed at the White House with Music of the Baroque and with members of the Guarneri Quartet in Maryland. He studied with Ray Still, Marc Lifschey and John Mack.
Holly Randall read Music at Cambridge University before completing Postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music and the Conservatoire de Musique de Genève. In 2005 she won the Barbirolli International Oboe Competition and subsequently gave a solo recital at the Wigmore Hall. From 2006 until 2011 she was a member of the Orchestra of the Zürich Opera. She has played with most of the UK’s major symphony orchestras and since 2014 has been a member of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. She has given masterclasses at the Dartington International Summer School and has coached young musicians from the Purcell School of Music and the National Youth Orchestra of Catalunya.
Gary Roberts is a member of the South Africa National Orchestra.
Tim Roberts is a member of the South African Symphony Orchestra.
Robert Sheena has been the English horn player of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra since 1994, during which time his uniquely vocal style of playing has garnered accolades from audience members and the media alike. In his more than twenty years as a member of the BSO, Robert has performed as soloist with the orchestra on several occasions, most notably in the world premiere performances of George Tsontakis’s Sonnets-a BSO commission composed specifically for him-at Symphony Hall in February 2016 with Andris Nelsons conducting, followed by a Tanglewood performance that August. He has also been featured in BSO performances at Tanglewood of André Previn’s Reflections and Aaron Copland’s Quiet City. With the Boston Pops Orchestra he has been featured at Symphony Hall in Quiet City and Michael Daugherty’s Spaghetti Western.From 1987 to 1991 Robert was the assistant principal oboe and English horn of the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Since then he has made numerous trips to perform in Asia, not only with the BSO, but also to perform in Japan as a guest English hornist with the Super World Orchestra (2001), Affinis Music Festival (2009), and Seiji Ozawa’s Saito Kinen Orchestra (2014). From 1991 until joining the BSO he was assistant principal oboe and English horn with the San Antonio Symphony. From 1984 to 1987 he was a freelance oboist in the Chicago area, playing in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and frequently as a substitute oboist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Robert is an instructor of both the oboe and the English horn at Boston University’s School of Music and Tanglewood Institute, at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and at the Longy School of Music of Bard College. An alumnus of the Tanglewood Music Center, he works with the fellowship oboists there every summer as a TMC faculty member, coaching them in chamber music and giving English horn master classes. Robert occupies the Beranek Chair in the woodwind section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Daniel Thiery is co-principal oboe in the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier
Suzie Thorn is the principal oboe with the RTE Concert Orchestra.
Margaret Tindale is sub principal oboe in the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
Victoria Walpole is a member of the BBC Concert Orchestra