… maybe you mean Elaine Douvas? Just a thought. It could actually be that there’s an oboist named Elaine Dubois out there too. (If so, do tell!)
Now to the one who googled “oboe jobs in pop groups” I’m really going to be pretty darn useless.
This is a video of a man conducting an orchestra for the first time. It’s a fun watch.
He writes about it here. That article begins:
I can’t keep my eyes off the orchestra’s feet.
With their hands full of flutes, violins, violas, oboes, mallets and trombones, the 60-plus symphony members are left with their feet to keep time.
It’s a tangle of tapping sandals, hiking boots and Converse All-Stars. One woman taps with the front of her red satin flats, a man across the stage uses the heel of his wing-tips. A few in flip-flops tap with just their big toes, and a violinist in the throes of a finale arches her feet like a ballerina.
Well, if they are all tapping they have a nice additional rhythm section there, eh? ;-)
One’s ego becomes less and less interesting as you get older, to oneself and to everyone else. I have been around it too long.
The less ego you have, the more influence you have as a conductor. And the result is that you can concentrate on the only things that really matter: the music and the people who are playing it. You are of no account whatever. But if you can help people to feel free to play as well as they can, that’s as good as it gets.
Sir Colin Davis
Last night my buddy Chuck a fellow tuba player, told me that in the Brass Band the music indicated that the cornet should play “in an oboe style”. They asked the conductor to clarify and he responded,”Play it like an oboe”. To which the cornet player asked “Do you mean out of tune”?
Oboes are expensive. This poor student is in for a rotten surprise:
Hello, Mr.Bridge.
I’m an advanced youth flute player, and I have other knowledge in other instruments such as other winds and strings. So I have a lot of music!
I would like to play oboe. I need help on what company I should get?
I’m in the middle of a Yamaha211 Student Oboe and i’m looking at some other ones but i’m not sure.
My price range is $ 100-500.
I’d greatly appreciate an answer.Thank you so much!
I read it here.
… but you don’t have to dumb it down. You don’t have to try to trick ‘em, either. Just play the darn music!
by ANASTASIA TSIOULCAS
EnlargeErich Auerbach/Getty Images
This lad looks less than enthused about classical music. (Actually, it’s a very young Nigel Kennedy, captured by a cameraman in 1964.)
It was early afternoon on a sunny Saturday. We were stuck in the car in heavy traffic. All three of us were bored and restless. All snacks had already been consumed and endless rounds of 20 Questions had already been played. We’d forgotten our iPods and our phones were running low on batteries. We were nowhere close to our destination.“Are we there yet?” came a cry from the backseat at closer and closer intervals. In desperation, my husband fiddled with the car radio, and chanced upon the gleaming chords of Das Rheingold. Ah, the Metropolitan Opera broadcast and then, something that stunned us: glorious silence from the peanut gallery. Had we hit upon something that would stave off the impending meltdown?
“What’s this about?” finally came the querulous three-year-old’s voice. Sensing the possibility of a small reprieve, my brave spouse launched into a more than lightly edited précis of Wagner’s first Ring opera: a dwarf, a golden ring, three lovely river sprites, a kingdom full of interesting gods and goddesses.
“I wanna go see it!” she cried. When we gently told her that she might not like the entire story, and that it takes hours and hours and hours anyway, she promptly burst into genuine tears. She was burning to go to the opera and witness this story about the magical ring and all the people who wanted to own it. As adult Ring-lovers, our associations with this music might revolve around Wagner’s artistic genius, or, more grimly, about the composer’s repellent anti-Jewish writings. For our preschooler, the Ring sounded like a wonderful addition to her greatly beloved stable of princess stories. (Cinderella, Snow White, Brünnhilde … )
RTWT and enjoy!
WIlliam Byrd: Haec Dies
The King’s Singers
Fact # 11 : I play oboe and english horn, and of course things like recorder and ocarina. I always wanted to learn harp!
Every year foreign orchestras with exotic or impressive-sounding names crisscross the country. They follow grueling routes and play in arts centers, small theaters and school auditoriums in places like Pembroke, N.C., and Modesto, Calif.
But they are not always what they seem.
The Dublin Philharmonic that played two years ago in nearly 50 towns? Mostly Bulgarians. The Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra that toured the United States last year? Largely freelancers. The “Tschaikowski” St. Petersburg State Orchestra, which is scheduled for a major American tour next year? Even the man advertised as its principal guest conductor said he had never heard of it.
A close look at these groups shows a pattern of creative marketing — even truth shading — concerning credentials and identities. At the least, audiences often do not know what they are getting, even though visa regulations require the groups to be “recognized internationally as outstanding” and to have had three-quarters of the same players for at least a year. Many of these groups are in fact pickup ensembles or have little reputation, even in their home countries.
Of course they aren’t the only orchestras that aren’t what they say they are. Take a look at some youth orchestras. Then look again. Do some of those kids look a little older? They probably are. They might even be thirty. Heck, they might even be mothers or fathers. Some youth orchestras hire what we call “ringers” to come in at the last minute to play concerts, sometimes even moving a real member down so the hired player can sit in a solo position. Some pay full fare to bring ringers on tour with them. When I find out an orchestra is doing that when they have members who should be playing, I no longer recommend the group. I just can’t.
So was I surprised by the article? Not really. Many things aren’t as they seem. Sad, but true.
So … when is it time to retire? Some would suggest we should retire when we are about my age. Those “some”, though, are not anywhere near my age! Some much older performers would suggest we never need retire if we continue to play well. The younger folk would say we are being unkind or unfair or just plain stupid or maybe stingy. (It’s so easy to think certain things when you think you’ll NEVER be that old, eh?!)
But rather than go into it all here, why don’t you go tell Gretchen what you think. Do tell her I sent you there! :-)
Me? I dunno. I certainly don’t want to retire too late — it’s so sad when someone hangs on and can’t really play well so everyone covers for her or him. In my positions there’s no way someone can cover for me; I’m all alone! But I also can’t imagine retiring at this point. I think I am still playing well. Of course I could be lying to myself. I guess I’ll just worry and wonder for now.
A. Rubtsov: Marbella Fantasy
LINE TRIO A.Pliskovskiy (flute), D.Osver (oboe),E.Kuchma (piano)
X-PRESS TRIO
Adriano Mondini, oboe; Gianni Serino, bass guitar; Rodney Holmes, drums
It’s jazz, folks. Far outside what I can do, to be sure!
One of my accomplished horn playing friends just took up oboe as a second instrument. I asked him if it’s hard. He said it’s easier than horn. Hmmm…
Asked online:
How to season an oboe reed?
My new oboe reed is quite raw and hard to blow through, any ways to make it seasoned and easier to blow through and vibrate it?
And the answer someone supplied?:
I have been playing the oboe for four years, and what helps me a lot is let it soak A LOT in you mouth before you play. When you start playing, make sure that there’s not a lot of spit still stuck in the reed. Another helpful thing might be to LIGHTLY bite down on your reed with you front teeth before you play. It will help the two reeds be closer together which will make the sound a lot clearer and not as annoyingly loud. I really hopes this helps you.
Someone want to go over there and supply a better answer?
What a combination of names for the Classic Brit awards:
Three virtuoso violinists were feted at this year’s Classic Brit Awards, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Britain’s Tasmin Little received the Critics’ Award for her acclaimed album Elgar: Violin Concerto, while Norway’s Vilde Frang took home a newcomer prize.
Dutch violinist Andre Rieu, meanwhile, won the coveted album of the year award for Moonlight Serenade, recorded with the Johann Strauss Orchestra.
Elsewhere the British conductor Antonio Pappano was named best male artist.
Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House, had also been shortlisted for the Critics’ Award, which he received at last year’s ceremony.
Estonia’s Arvo Part was named composer of the year at Thursday’s event, hosted by Myleene Klass, while Il Divo were crowned artists of the decade.
Operatic quartet Il Divo were crowned artists of the decade at Thursday’s ceremony
Mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins, German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and trumpeter Alison Balsom – recipient of the best female artist prize – were among the performers.Late composer John Barry, best known for his contributions to the James Bond films, was honoured posthumously with an outstanding contribution to music award.
I read it here.
