Stephen Colburn, principal oboist of the Milwaukee Symphony, sends along news of his many and varied activities. After 15 seasons with the Santa Fe Opera, he has decided to relinquish this post, and he has also resigned as music director of the Racine (Wisconsin) Symphony. He continues as music director/conductor of the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra, which does six concerts a season, with members of the MSO. A highlight of Mr. Colburn's long and interesting letter is his account of his opportunity to perform the American premiere of Peter Maxwell Davies' new Oboe Concerto at the Ojai Festival in California on June 5, 1988. Martin Bernheimer writing in the Los Angeles Times, called the concerto "the piece de resistance; it has much in common with the poignant violin concerto, which Previn and Isaac Stern introduced with the Los Angeles Philharmonic last January... Davis describes the work as a dialogue that treats the solo oboe and Haydnesque orchestra as equals. Chaste traces of plainsong develop into flashes of romantic passion. The oboe partbrilliantly realized by Stephen Colburn -explores the stratosphere with plaintive chants that even tually take extended bravura flight. The transformations are organic, the textures transparent, the dynamic and harmonic structures civil. . . " And Andrew Porter, writing in the New Yorker, comments: "Mr. Colburn was poetic in the work's long high flights, which in the cadenza rise twice to a sustained A in alt." Mr. Colburn's own comments are worth quoting here:

"It was a great honor to be asked and possibly an even greater challenge to prepare the work. My level of anxiety rose considerably when the solo part arrived without any markings to designate tempi, dynamics, or articulations!!! This occurred in December (1987), and when Sir Peter's manager Judy Arnold visited Milwaukee in February I expressed concern. Her response was not to worry, . . . "that Max doesn't like to get too specific about that sort of thing. He likes the performers to make what sense they are able from the initial material, and to get involved in helping to shape the eventual outcome." Feeling somewhat daunted by this turn of events, I pressed onward, working on the piece quite steadily for the next five months. I got a real sense of how things must have seemed to my family when, just a few days before venturing to Ojai, my daughter Sara, 17 at the time, came into the studio while I was practicing the extended 1st movement cadenza-including several flights into nosebleed territory- (a3) asked me, "Dad, after you do this performance in California, does that mean you won't be practicing it anymore?"

Marlee and I arrived at LA airport late afternoon, picked up our rental car and headed 80 miles north for Ojai. A day later, I was introduced to Sir Peter ("Call me Max") and played the concerto for him (without accompaniment!) Sir Peter (Max) turned out to be quite shy, though a most gracious colleague. He was most enthusiastic and encouraging about what I had done with the concerto, though he did have several requests and suggestions. In short, we took what I felt was a genuine liking and admiration for one another. At the first orchestra rehearsal the following day (Thursday), it seemed best to observe and and listen, but not to attempt to play. The orchestra parts (pairs of flutes, clarinets, horns, timpani, and strings) were fiendishly tricky in their rhythmic complexity, and it was obvious even this very good orchestra assembled from LA, had its hands full. We had two full rehearsals over the next few days, and fortunately all went well. Max was happy, Ojai Festival Director Jeanette O'Connor and her staff had come to the first full rehearsal and they too, seemed pleased (relieved???) at the results. The concerto is nearly 26 minutes long, extremely demanding from the standpoint of endurance, technique, and most especially rhythm, and rhythmic flexibility, as well as range (plenty of low register fun, along with frequent flights to high f#, g, and the aforementioned a's.)

Nevertheless, it was certainly the most challenging, exciting, and rewarding event of my life as an oboist. In 1984 1 had the pleasure of performing the delightful Lukas Foss Oboe Concerto under the composer's direction in a series of performances with the Milwaukee Symphony. In Ojai (thanks to Foss recommending me to the Ojai people) I again had the privilege of performing as concerto soloist under the composer's direction. This for me is the best circumstance and one which I will always cherish."

Thomas Gallant appeared in recital at Merkin Hall in New York on March 20,1990, in a program that included the Mozart Quartet, the Francaix Quartet for English horn and strings, Richard Rodney Bennett's Oboe Quartet, and the American premieres of Holst's Air & Variations and Three Pieces, Op. 2. His colleagues included Maria Bachmann, and Genady Filimonov, violins, Eufrosina Raileanu, viola, and Michael Karmen, cello. His appearance was a part of the Concert Artists Guild series featuring winners of their competition.

Dorothy Darlington sends word of her busy schedule of performances in the Washington area. She was a member of the United States Marine Band from 1981 until 1987, and in 1989 she completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Catholic University of America. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Michigan State University, she formerly played in the Savannah Symphony and the Jacksonville Symphony. Recently she has joined forces with guitarist William Feasley to form the D'Amore Duo, which was first prize winner of the Baltimore Chamber Music Competition (in December, 1989). A Washington Post review by Joseph McLellan called the duo's appearance at Mount Vernon College "one of the freshest, most unusual concerts of the season. . each of the nine works performed was enjoyable and splendidly unhackneyed ... Three selections stood out in this bright charming company. One was the Suite Populare for Oboe and Guitar of Greek composer Dimitris Kapsomenos, a series of dance movements with folk-flavored melodies and exciting, varied rhythms that had its world premiere. Another was Uirapuru by Tom Eastwood, an elaborate, brilliantly descriptive tone poem about a bird (the oboe) pursued by hunters (the guitar) ... Oboist Darlington plays with total control, depth of feeling and inventive musicianship. Her partnership with Feasley produced an evening of great satisfaction and solid discovery for chamber music connoisseurs."

Margo Easter appeared in recital at Radford University, Blacksburg, Virginia, on November 29, 1989, as part of the faculty scholarship concert series. Her program consisted of two works: the Hindemith Sonata (Caryl Conger, pianist) and the Phantasy, Op. 2 of Benjamin Britten (in which she was assisted by members of the Audubon String Quartet).

Matt Sullivan sends news of his electro-acoustic trio, First Avenue, which presented Factal Theology, an evening of original music for oboe, double bass, synthesizers, computer and electric guitar. The concert took place at the Washington Square Church, New York, on January 18. Matt's colleagues in the group include William Kannar, double bass/computer, and C. Bryan Rulon, synthesizers/computer. The concert included the premiere of a new work by guest composer/guitarist/ multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp.

Thomas Stacy, English horn soloist of the New York Philharmonic, is busy as ever. He sends word of recent activities as soloist and in the recording studio.

Stacy recently premiered three new concerti written for him: a new English horn Concerto by, Bernard Hoffer with the Spokane Symphony, a new chamber concerto (oboe doubling English horn) by Kenneth Fuchs with the New York Philharmonic Ensembles at New York's Merkin Concert Hall and another new English horn Concerto by Estonian composer, Peteris Vasks, with the Stamford Chamber Orchestra.

This season Stacy also appeared as soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony (Skrowaczewski Concerto, Skrowaczewski conducting) and in five performances with the Oregon Symphony, James DePreist, conducting. One Oregon critic praised, "He played the English horn as if he invented it!"

Stacy has had resounding international success with his first cross-over album, "A nu-view Chritmas with Tom Stacy." "It's a smash hit," said Lynne Hoffman, vice president of London Records, who is launching London's nu-view label. "It's already our most successful record on the series and we expect it will become a Christmas classic." CD REVIEW stated, "after you listen to a few of these arrangements you'll find it hard to resist making this a favorite."

Stacy's agreement with Decca Records, London's parent, provides for sequel recordings. He has recently completed Amber Waves, a "nu-view" of some American melodies, which is scheduled for fall release. In the same musical genre as his Christmas opus, coined by USA TODAY as 'jazzical," the repertoire includes "Amazing Grace," the "Largo" from Dvorak's New World Symphony, "Simple Gifts" and a very up-beat Latin version of "Swanee." Performing again with Stacy is former Chuck Mangione sideman, Rob Mathes on synthesizers, acoustic piano and guitar, Joe Bonadio on drums and percussion, with the added talents of Will Lee, the bass guitarist from Late Night with David Letterman, and The City Gospel Choir (in "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" and "We Gather Together.") Tom and Rob co-produce.

"The new musical vocabulary which I've acquired in recording and producing these albums has enhanced my comprehensive performance understanding, and," Stacy adds, "I'm having lots of fun!"

Tom continues his highly successful English horn seminars at Towson State University in Maryland. This photo, taken by Norma Hooks, shows high spirits among last June's participants.

[Select to enlarge]

The Trio d'Anches OZI, Claude Villevieille, oboist; Lucien Aubert, clarinetist; and Alexandre Ouzounoff, bassoonist, performed concerts in

September, 1989 in homage to Etienne Ozi, bassoonist and composer for whom the trio is named. Works included Joseph Francois Gamier's First Symphonie Concertante featuring soloists, Claude Villevielle and Jean Pierre Taurignan, oboists, and Etienne Ozi's Third Symphonie Concertante for Oboe and Bassoon featuring Messrs. Villevieille and Ouzounoff.

Sue Owen Bissiri recently participated in a performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #2 at Wayne State University, Detroit, and in July, 1989, she performed the Mozart Concerto with the Ann Arbor Summer Civic Band. In November she performed Britten's Six Metamorphoses after Ovid at the Ann Arbor Mu Phi Epsilon sorority meeting of alumnae, and in January she presented a recital at Eastern Michigan University that included works of Britten, Piston, Saint-Saens, and Handel. She is in her eighth year as principal oboist of the Ann Arbor Comic Opera Guild.

Oboe International presented Jeffrey Rathbun, winner of the 1988 Lucarelli International Competition for Solo Oboe Players, in a program of 20th century oboe music at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, on April 10, 1990. He was assisted by Marc Shapiro, pianist and John Mack, oboist in works of Levin, Andriessen, Bitsch, Rathbun, Stravinsky, and Howells. Mr. Rathbun is currently a member of the Atlanta Symphony and will join the Cleveland Orchestra in the coming season. In the accompanying photo (taken at the 1988 Victoria meeting of the I.D.R.S.), John Mack and Jeffrey Rathbun are joined by Laila Storch and Daniel Stolper, both of whom served on the jury of the Lucarelli competition.

Noemi "Mimi" Waisbord performed the Mozart Concerto, K. 314 with the Orquestra Filarmonica de Goias, at the Teatro Goiania, in midwestern Brazil. Her husband, Alex Aizenberg, a bassoonist, writes: "I am pretty sure this was the first time K. 314 was performed in the city (about time!). Actually Goiania is only fifty years old and the OFG is just beginning its second season. The April 1st concert opened the 1990 season ... Mimi got her M.M. in oboe from Indiana University, where she studied with Jerry Sirucek. Currently she is principal oboist with the OFG and teaches at the orchestra's School of Music. She played the concerto wonderfully. The Diario da Manha published that 'people felt like levitating during her solos' and she received a standing ovation at the end of her performance. She played John deLancie's cadenzas, and, at the fermata of m. 123 of the 3rd movement, improvised a little salute to her bassoonist husband....

Table of Contents