PETER BOWMAN
BARBARA HERR
THOMAS PARKES
MARC GORDON
Current and Past Oboe and English Horn Players of the St. Louis Symphony
About the writer...

Founded in 1880, the St. Louis Symphony is one of the oldest professional orchestras in the United States. In recent years the Symphony has gained increasing recognition under the directorship of Leonard Slatkin, who became Music Director and Conductor after a long association with the orchestra in other Positions. In 1983 a Time magazine article ranked the St. Louis Symphony second only to the Chicago Symphony in level of achievement and ahead of the Boston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and others. Time stated, "St. Louis has come into its own as a tightly disciplined ensemble under the impressively gifted American conductor Leonard Slatkin."[1] - The Time ranking surprised many music lovers, but it brought a great deal of long-overdue recognition to the orchestra. In 1985 the Symphony toured Europe and received many fine reviews from critics there. Also in 1985, the Symphony won two Grammy Awards for its recording of Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 on the RCA label. Increasingly, the Symphony attracts large and appreciative crowds on its tours to other Parts of the United States.

The following is a profile of the members of the oboe section of the orchestra. It is interesting to note that among the players profiled, one was trained in Boston, one in New York, one in Philadelphia, and one in Chicago. Thus several of the important schools of oboe playing are represented within the section.

PETER BOWMAN occupies the Morton D. May Chair in oboe in the St. Louis Symphony, and has been the principal oboist for the orchestra since 1977. Mr. Bowman was educated at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Ralph Gomberg. He has also studied with John Mack.

Mr. Bowman received the Albert Spaulding Award as the most outstanding instrumentalist at the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in 1971. That same year he was invited by

Leonard Bernstein to perform in Bernstein's Mass at the opening of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He appeared as soloist in the United States premiere of Bruno Maderna's Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra, with the Boston Symphony, at Tanglewood. He has also performed with the Boston Opera Ballet, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Canadian Broadcasting Orchestra, and the McGill Chamber Orchestra. Prior to his appointment with the St. Louis Symphony, Mr. Bowman served for six years as first oboe of the Montreal Symphony.

In addition to performing with the Symphony, Mr. Bowman occasionally participates in the Symphony's chamber music series and regularly performs at the Victoria International Festival, Victoria, Canada and at the Banff Festival of Fine Arts. In the past he was a member of the Festival Wind soloists of Canada, a group which was the resident company at the Stratford, Ontario Festival as well as at the Banff Festival.

Mr. Bowman currently teaches at the St. Louis Conservatory and Schools of the Arts (known locally by the acronym CASA). Previously he was an oboe instructor at McGill University, in Montreal, and Dalhouse University, in Nova Scotia. In addition, he has a few private pupils.

Mr. Bowman is very well known for his preference for Laubin oboes. In explaining this preference, Mr. Bowman begins by noting that he grew up in rural New Hampshire and naturally gravitated toward Boston and Ralph Gomberg for his formal training. As a result of the influence of the Boston school, he has been playing Laubins since he was fourteen and he "feels at home" with them. However, Mr. Bowman frequently tries new instruments representative of all the major brands, and continues to have confidence that Laubin is the superior choice. In particular, he believes that Laubins have the most even scale and consistency of manufacture. Mr. Bowman is aware that some other oboists are frustrated with Laubins - that others find it difficult to "sing" with a Laubin or to project the tone in a large orchestra. Some may find the tone quality somewhat dull. Mr. Bowman disagrees with these criticisms but acknowledges that Laubins call for a reed with somewhat thinner corners than reeds made for other instruments. With this small reed adjustment, Mr. Bowman feels that the difficulties others may experience with a Laubin are easily overcome.

Despite his preference for Laubins, Mr. Bowman has always owned Lorée instruments and experimented with them. He readily acknowledges that Lorée instruments have magnificent keywork, and that high notes from high E on up pop out much more easily on a Lorée. However, Mr. Bowman finds that most Lorées are flat below low E, the scales are frequently uneven, and the recently manufactured instruments of inconsistent quality. Fundamentally,

Mr. Bowman believes that an oboist "must be a terrific reed maker to play Lorée. " Not feeling he is a great reed maker, Mr. Bowman wants the instrument to "do more of the work. "

Mr. Bowman currently plays two Laubins, both acquired within the last two years. One of these instruments is a rosewood Laubin which Bowman's colleagues in the orchestra call "Big Red." Curiously, the rosewood instrument does not seem to have a great tone quality close up but sounds wonderful at a distance. Mr. Bowman has used his rosewood instrument in several recordings. Contrary to the conventional wisdom about rosewood instruments, Mr. Bowman does not feel it is difficult to project the sound, and he has used his instrument on several occasions with the full Symphony.

Mr. Bowman's reeds are pictured in David A. Ledet's Oboe Reed Styles: Theory and Practice.[2] Mr. Bowman reports that he continues to make reeds in much the same style, with the exception that his reeds are now typically 68mm in length rather than 69mm or 69.5mm as illustrated in the book. The St. Louis Symphony tunes to A442, and he needs the shorter length to bring his Laubins up to pitch.

BARBARA HERR is a native of Paxinos, Pennsylvania. When ready for college, Ms. Herr did not wish to attend a typical conservatory, but rather one which offered a good liberal arts education. She chose Oberlin where she studied with James Caldwell. After finishing her work at Oberlin, Ms. Herr completed one year of graduate work at Temple University in Philadelphia, where she studied with Louis Rosenblatt. On her third audition she won the position of Assistant Principal of the St. Louis Symphony. She began her responsibilities with the 1976-77 season.

In addition to her demanding schedule with the Symphony (the Symphony has a full 52-week season), Ms. Herr also performs with the Kammerguild Chamber Orchestra in St. Louis and in some of the chamber music concerts organized by the Symphony.

Ms. Herr is one of the most active local oboe teachers, with many private pupils. In addition, she is an oboe faculty member at CASA and St. Louis University.

Having studied with James Caldwell and in Philadelphia, Ms. Herr quite naturally plays Lorée oboes. For a number of years she used a BZ series oboe which she liked a great deal, but she currently plays an instrument with the serial number FT23. She normally owns two instruments and is in the process of acquiring an additional Lorée. Ms. Herr reports that she usually buys a new Lorée every four or five years. By being careful about the dealers she does business with, she has always been able to find instruments which meet her standards.

Ms. Herr's reeds are not radically different from those of one of her teachers, James Caldwell, which are pictured in the Ledet book. Her reeds are typically 69 1/2 mm in length, with the cane 22 1/2 mm above the 47mm staple. The thin portion of the tip is relatively short, typically 2mm in the center and slightly longer at the sides. The center of the tip area is distinctly heavier than the sides. The spine of Ms. Herr's reeds is very light and the heart area relatively heavy. She leaves at least 3mm and typically 4mm of unscraped cane at the bottom of her reeds. Ms. Herr uses a Brannen extra narrow shape and gouges her cane .60mm in the center and .45mm on the sides.

Ms. Herr has a number of diverse interests and hobbies. Several years ago she earned an Emergency Medical Technician degree (which is half-way toward full certification as a paramedic) and she has become a certified CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) instructor. She teaches CPR for the American Heart Association and has conducted classes for members of the Symphony. She is an avid swimmer and a member of the Masters Swim Team of St. Louis. She scuba dives in the Caribbean and elsewhere, and is an experienced underwater photographer. In junior high and high school, Ms. Herr played sousaphone (!) in addition to oboe, in order to qualify for marching band.

THOMAS PARKES is the senior member of the oboe section of the St. Louis Symphony, beginning his nineteenth season with the orchestra. A native of El Paso, Texas, Mr. Parkes attended the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Harold Gomberg. After completing his education, he entered the army and was a member of the U.S. Army Band at Ft. Myers, Virginia, in the Washington, DC suburbs. Following discharge from the army, he won his chair in the St. Louis Symphony, beginning his responsibilities with the 1968-69 season.

In addition to playing with the Symphony, Mr. Parkes has been a member of the Webster Woodwind Quintet for the past five years. The Quintet regularly performs recitals in the St. Louis area and has received very favorable reviews. Mr. Parkes also performs with the Bach Society, which produces a number of concerts each year and also does occasional free lance work in the St. Louis area. He is also a member of the oboe faculty of Webster University.

Thomas Parkes is married to Jan Parkes who is also a well-known St. Louis oboist. Ms. Parkes does a great deal of free lance work, and is also principal oboe with the St. Louis Philharmonic.

When Tom Parkes auditioned for the St. Louis Symphony, he played a Laubin oboe which he had obtained with the assistance of his teacher, Harold Gomberg. During the period in which Richard Woodhams was principal oboe of the Symphony (1969-77), Parkes began playing Lorées, in order to match his sound more closely to that of Woodhams. Eventually, he sold his Laubin, and began playing Lorées exclusively. This past fall he acquired a new Laubin from Peter Bowman, and he now plays either the new Laubin or a Lorée in his work with the Symphony. Mr. Parkes' colleagues believe that he plays the Laubin whenever Bowman plays first, and a Lorée whenever Barbara Herr plays first. In fact, Parkes reports he is far less rigid in his choice of instruments.

In commenting on oboe brands, Mr. Parkes states that he feels Laubins have a more even scale and tone quality. He finds that newer Lorées have a brighter and more superficial tone quality, but nonetheless various notes have qualities which he likes very much. Tom and Jan Parkes own many Lorées, but Mr. Parkes' favorite, the one he plays most frequently in the Symphony, has the serial number EP 49. He plays this instrument with a BR bell.

Mr. Parkes' reeds are 68mm in length or even a little shorter. There are two shapers - a Mack and an Angelo #1 - which he likes equally well. He gouges his cane .60 to .62mm in the center and .45mm at the sides. The thin tips of his reeds are typically 2mm long in the center and considerably longer at the sides. His reeds have a distinct (but barkless) spine. The total length of the lay is fairly long, coming to within 2mm of the winding.

Mr. Parkes has had many hobbies in his years with the St. Louis Symphony but the one of most interest to readers of The Double Reed is the making of gouging machines. During the time that he pursued this interest, he made four machines, including making and grinding of the blades. Although he no longer produces machines, Mr. Parkes continues to use one of the blades he made.

MARC GORDON has played oboe and English horn with the St. Louis Symphony since 1972. A native of Chicago, Mr. Gordon was educated at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University and the American Conservatory where he studied with Ray Still and Richard Kanter. just after completing school, he was called by the Lyric Opera of Chicago to audition on English horn. "I borrowed an instrument from one friend and some reeds from another, " he recalled of his crash preparation for the audition. Following two days of intensive preparation, he got the position with the Lyric Opera. Also during the 1971-72 season, he played English horn with the Milwaukee Symphony and was a member of the Grant Park Symphony and the Chicago Chamber Orchestra. He moved to St. Louis the following season, and began his career with the Symphony.

Besides performing with the Symphony, Mr. Gordon occasionally performs in the chamber music series organized by the Symphony, and is a member of the St. Louis Baroque Ensemble.

Mr. Gordon is a very active teacher, serving as a faculty member in oboe at CASA, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, Washington University, and the University of Missouri at St. Louis. He also has a few private pupils.

Mr. Gordon plays Lorée oboes, English horns, and oboes d'amour. He notes that recent Lorée oboes seem a little brighter than those made in earlier periods, and he believes that this adds to the burden placed on the artist, but he has been able to select recently manufactured instruments which meet his standards. He feels that the quality of Lorée English horns is at an all-time high. Mr. Gordon's current oboes have the serial numbers FE 96 and GB 38. His English horns are numbered CY 06 and FU 03 and his oboe d'amour is numbered DC 78. He uses Glover bocals exclusively on his English horns and oboe d'amour.

Mr. Gordon's oboe reeds are never more than 70mm in length, frequently shorter. The thin part of the tip is typically 4mm in length. One particularly apparent characteristic of Mr. Gordon's reeds is that the back part of the lay is shorter than that of some other reed makers.

Typically, 5 to 6mm of cane is left unscraped above the winding. He uses either a Brannen extra narrow or narrow shaper and gouges his oboe cane .59 to .60mm in the center and .45mm at the sides. Mr. Gordon's English horn reeds are 55 to 57mm in total length, with a short back. Typically 12mm of cane is left unscraped and the back "windows" are relatively thick. Mr. Gordon feels that this short scrape helps those notes which tend to sag on the English horn. The tips of his English horn reeds are quite distinctive. There is a very thin tip of approximately 2mm with a much longer tapered area immediately behind this thin area. This scrape gives the appearance of a double tip when backlit. Mr. Gordon uses a Brannen shaper for his English horn reeds and gouges his English horn cane .73mm in the center and .55mm at the sides.

When he was in school, Mr. Gordon worked in the shops of Edmund Nielsen and Bill Brannen. He felt that this experience gave him an appreciation for the mechanical and acoustical complexities of oboes and English horns, which has been very valuable to him since. His brother, who took his job when he became a full time player, is now the owner and operator of Eugene S. Gordon Woodwinds and a frequent advertiser in The Double Reed.

Mr. Gordon is known locally for his passion for tennis which he plays at least five times a week. This past year his team won the Volvo regional tennis competition. And in a hobby which must be virtually unique for an oboist, Mr. Gordon is an avid sports car driving enthusiast. He owns a Porsche 911 and attended a race car driving school some years ago. However, he finds that the Symphony's schedule of weekend performances keeps him from being as active in this sport as he would like to be.

Current and Past Oboe and English Horn Players of the St. Louis Symphony

The following is from Richard E. Mueller's A Century of the Symphony, St. Louis: Knight Publishing Company, 1979, pp. 155-157. This reprinting, with minor editorial changes, is made with the permission of Dr. Mueller. Readers will find many familiar names listed here.

OBOES

Angelo, Peter 1959-60 to 1960-61
Antonucci, Joseph 1929-30 to 1957-58
Arner, Leonard 1948-49 to 1954-55
Principal: 1949-50 to 1954-55
Bertram, Adolph 1919-20 to 1921-22
Bowman, Peter Principal: 1977-78 to the present
Combatente, Ralph 1921-22
Corne, Rene 1931-32 to 1933-34
Crowley, David H 1961-62 to 1963-64
de Castro, Robert 1961-62
Doucet, Louis 1911-12
Dutton, David 1964-65
Enkells, Elizabeth 1968-69 to 1973-74 Acting Principal: 1968-69 Associate Principal: 1969-70
Assistant Principal: 1970-71 to 1973-74 (as Elizabeth Lucia) Assist. Prin.: 1974-75 to 1975-76
Fantilli, August L 1958-59
Genovese, Alfred J. Principal: 1956-57 to 1958-59
Goltzer, Albert Principal: 1946-47 to 1947-48
Goltzer, Doris D 1947-48
Gomberg, Harold 1939-40 to 1942-43
Principal: 1942-43
Gordon, Marc 1972-73 to the present
Herr, Barbara Assist. Prin.: 1976-77 to the present
Hicks, Alfred H 1926-27 to 1946-47
Holmes, John A Principal: 1944-45 to 1945-46
Horn, Paul 1965-66
Hoxie, Burton W 1922-23
Hussey, George A 1955-56 to 1960-61 Principal: 1959-60 to 1960-61
Jaeger, Laura 1966-67 to 1967-68
Jakez, Carlos 1917-18
Keller, August .... 1964-65 to 1967-68; 1969-70 to 1971-72
Kellersberger, Anton J. 1920-21
Kessler, Walter 1948-49 to 1954-55
Leoncavallo, Joseph 1922-23 to 1923-24
Lucia, Elizabeth See Enkells, Elizabeth
Majori, Olivo 1928-29
Mathieu, Pierre 1934-35 to 1940-41
Assistant First: 1939-40 to 1940-41
McConathy, James S 1907-08 to 1913-14
Miglionico, Attilio 1916-17; 1918-19
Parkes, Thomas 1968-69 to the present
Rifici, Vincent 1923-24 to 1925-56
Russell, Myron E 1927-28
Schipilliti, Vincento 1910-11
Simonazzi, Ermete Principal: 1924-25 to 1930-31
Sluyter, Harris Principal: 1955-56
Smith, Colin G 1962-63 to 1963-64
Sonik, Carl Principal: 1961-62 to 1967-68
Spada, Joseph 1923-24 to 1926-27
Standke, Paul .... 1912-13 to 1919-20; 1921-22 to 1922-23
Wagner, Samuel G 1920-21
Wann, Lois Principal: 1943-44
Ward, Arthur .... 1908-09 to 1909-10; 1914-15 to 1915-16
Woodhams, Richard Principal: 1969-70 to 1976-77
Worrell, Claude 1959-60 to 1960-61
Wouters, Jacques 1907-08 to 1918-19

ENGLISH HORNS

Angelo, Peter 1959-60 to 1960-61
Bertram, Adolph 1920-21
Combatente, Ralph 1921-22
Crowley, David H 1 961-62
Doucet, Louis 1911-12
Goltzer, Doris D 1947-48
Gordon, Marc 1972-73 to the present
Hicks, Alfred H 1926-27 to 1946-47
Hoxie, Burton W 1 922-23
Hussey, George A 1955-56 to 1958-59
Keller, August .... 1964-65 to 1965-66; 1968-69 to 1971-72
Kellersberger, Anton J. 1920-21
Kessler, Walter 1948-49 to 1954-55
McConathy, James S 1908-09 to 1913-14
Rifici, Vincent 1924-25 to 1925-26
Schipilliti, Vincento 1910-11
Smith, Colin G 1962-63 to 1963-64
Standke, Paul 1912-13 to 1918-19
Wagner, Samuel G 1920-21
Wouters, Jacques 1907-08 to 1913-14; 1919-20

About the writer...

Peter J. Bukalski is Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communications at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he is a faculty member in two departments, Mass Communications and Theater/Dance. Dr. Bukalski wishes to express his appreciation to the members of the oboe section of the St. Louis Symphony who gave generously of their time to make this profile possible and to Jim Mann of the St. Louis Symphony for the material and help he provided.

Photos courtesy of the St. Louis Symphony.

ENDNOTES

1. Michael Walsh. "Which U.S. Orchestras are Best?" Time, April 25, 1983, p. 108.

2. David A. Ledet. Oboe Reed Styles: Theory and Practice. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1981. Text and pictures of Mr. Bowman's reeds appear on pages 116 and 117 with measurements given on page 181 (this last page is unnumbered in the text).

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