Oboist Quotes

When a writer first begins to write, he or she feels the same first thrill of achievement that the young gambler or oboe player feels: winning a little, losing some, the gambler sees the glorious possibilities, exactly as the young oboist feels an indescribable thrill when he gets a few phrases to sound like real music, phrases implying an infinite possibility for satisfaction and self-expression. As long as the gambler or oboist is only playing at being a gambler or oboist, everything seems possible. But when the day comes that he sets his mind on becoming a professional, suddenly he realizes how much there is to learn, how little he knows.

A colleague told me that he thinks of his life as an orchestra. Reclaiming his integrity reminds him of that moment before the concert when the concertmaster asks the oboist to sound an A. 'At first there is chaos and noise as all parts of the orchestra try to align themselves with that note. But as each instrument moves closer and closer to it, the noise diminishes and when they all finally sound it together, there is a moment of rest, of homecoming.' 'That is how it feels to me,' he told me. 'I am always tuning my orchestra. Somewhere deep inside there is a sound that is mine alone, and I struggle daily to hear it and tune my life to it. Sometimes there are people and situations that help me to hear my note more clearly; other times, people and situations make it harder for me to hear. A lot depends on my commitment to listening and my intention to stay coherent with this note. It is only when my life is tuned to my note that I can play life's mysterious and holy music without tainting it with my own discordance, my own bitterness, resentment, agenda, and fears.' Deep inside, our integrity sings to us whether we are listening or not. It is a note that only we can hear.

Whose trip do you think this is, anyhow?

Whose trip is this, anyway

How good do you want to be?

the phone rang just before 8 P.M., like the night second oboist Jerry Roth, dad of CNN’s Richard Roth, suffered an accident involving a roller-skating waiter, scalding hot soup, and his lap. I sight-read the concert; he recovered.

You have produced a riveting tale of your circuitous route to the NY Philharmonic, a history of who's who in the mid-20th century music world, a blueprint for audition preparation, and a clear treatise of (Marcel) Tabuteau's teachings. THIS BOOK IS A MASTERPIECE!" Louis Nicholson Bradley, oboist/teacher, Vancouver. BC