Richard Killmer will join the faculty of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York as professor of oboe in the fall of 1982. He has been principal oboist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra for 10 years, and of the Aspen Festival Orchestra since 1979. He is also a founding member of the American Reed Trio. Mr. Killmer will join bassoonist K. David Van Hoesen of the Eastman faculty in a recital at Alice Tully Hall in New York on February 28, 1982, as part of the Eastman-Botsford Series sponsored by the school. Assisted by other Eastman faculty artists he will perform a program including works of Poulenc and Loeffler. Mr. Killmer was principal oboist of the Oklahoma City Symphony from 1967 to 1970 and with the NORAD Band from 1962 to 1965. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in music education from the University of Northern Colorado. He received his advanced degrees, including the doctor of musical arts, from Yale University, where he studied the oboe with Robert Bloom. He has taught at Macalester College, the University of Minnesota, Hamline University, the University of Oklahoma and other schools.
Charles Lehrer, a regular contributor to these pages, and a member of the faculty of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, presented a recital on September 13, 1981, entitled "Music for the Virtuoso Oboist." Assisted by Dorothy Ornest, pianist, and other faculty artists, Mr. Lehrer performed sonatas of Handel and J. S. Bach, the Andante from the Beethoven F Major Concerto (a reconstruction by the performer from Beethoven's short score in the British Museum), Benjamin Britten's Temporal Variations and Two Insect Pieces, and Salvatore Macchia's Senfl (1981).
Patrick McFarland performed the Gordon Jacob Rhapsody for English horn and strings with the Atlanta Symphony on July 12. He has been English horn player with the orchestra since 1964.
Daniel Stolper was soloist in the premiere performance of Ivan Tcherepnin's Concerto for oboe with winds, percussion and harp in Pittsburgh with the American Wind Symphony Orchestra, Robert Boudreau conducting, on June 14. The work was commissioned for the orchestra's 25th anniversary season, and includes prominent parts for the oboe d'amore and heckelphone. It is immensely virtuosic and influenced by the composer's admiration for the Strauss oboe concerto. Mr. Stolper also presented a recital at Michigan State University in East Lansing on April 19; the program included sonatas of J. S. Bach and York Bowen, Benjamin Britten's Temporal Variations and Two Insect Pieces, and Frank Martin's Petite Complainte. He was assisted by Ralph Votapek, pianist. With Alcestis Perry, violist and Albertine Votapek, pianist, he performed the Loeffler Rhapsodies in East Lansing, Interlochen, at Baldwin-Wallace College (near Cleveland), in New York, and Washington.
The 30th International Competition for Musicians was held in Munich September 1 through 18. The jury for the oboe competition included Evelyn Barbirolli of England, Radu Emil Chisu of Rumania, Ingo Goritzki and Helmut Hucke of West Germany, Andre Lardrot of France, Walter Lehmayer of Austria, Jiri Mihule of Czechoslovakia, and Ivan Puschetschnikov of the USSR. A large number of young oboists competed, coming from countries around the world. No first prize was awarded, however, the second prize was presented to Klaus Becker of West Germany. Third prizes were received by Mechiel Henri van den Brinck of the Netherlands and David Walter of France. Evelyn Barbirolli promises a report on this most prestigious competition in a coming issue.
British oboist John Anderson, winner of the 1981 Concert Artists Guild Award, will make his American debut at the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York on January 19, 1982. He will be assisted by pianist Richard Nunn in a program including works of Bozza, Schumann, Pasculli, Handel, Britten, York Bowen, Attila Bozay's Tetelpar, and Gyorgy Ranky's Don Quixote e Dulcinea. Mr. Anderson is currently first oboist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and was a featured soloist in the orchestra's 1981 tour of the Far East, performing concertos in Seoul and Peking. He has studied with Derek Wickens and Terence MacDonagh. At the age of 19, he became principal oboist of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. In 1976, he became first oboist of the BBC Welsh Symphony and in the same year joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra, becoming its principal in 1979. He was a major prize winner in the 1977 Geneva International competition.
(This Department has been sadly neglected in recent issues; here is an attempt to bring thins up-to-date. Please inform us of other changes. - D. S. )
Sara Watkins has relinquished her position with the National Symphony of Washington, D.C. after eight seasons as principal oboist; she is now living in London.
Robert Burks is first oboist of the Chattanooga Symphony.
Robert Stephenson is first oboist of the Utah Symphony in Salt Lake City.
Rudolph Vrbsky has become first oboist of the National Symphony.
Keith Atkinson has joined the San Francisco Symphony, together with Julie Giocabassi who is the orchestra's new English horn player.
Jonathan Dlouhy is first oboist of the Atlanta Symphony.
John Ferillo has joined the faculty of West Virginia University at Morgantown.
Peter Cooper, Lynn Levey, and Mark Christianson are members of the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
Laura Jaeger is a member of the faculty of the Crane School of Music at the State University of New York at Potsdam.
Marilyn Zupnik has joined the Minnesota Orchestra.
Ted Bakin is first oboist of the Montreal Symphony.
Robert Royse is the English horn player of the Kansas City Philharmonic.
Scott Bell is first oboist in the orchestra of Vera Cruz in Mexico.
Howard Niblock has become a member of the faculty of Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin.
Richard Dorsey is a member of the Toronto Symphony.
Melvin Berman, a member of the faculty of music of the University of Toronto presented a recital in the Walter Hall of the Edward Johnson Building at the University on November 22. he was assisted by pianist Susan Chenette in the Romanze and Humoreske by Carl Nielsen, the premiere performance of the Sonata by Morawetz, the Donizetti English horn Concertino, the Telemann A Minor Sonata, and the Schumann Fantasy Pieces. Mr. Berman has taught at the university for ten years; he was previously principal oboist of the Montreal Symphony.
Elaine Douvas, first oboist of the Metropolitan Opera Company, spent a week at the Interlochen Arts Academy in November, 1980, where she was soloist in the Mozart concerto and gave master classes and private coaching to the oboe pupils. Miss Douvas is a graduate of Interlochen. Another Interlochen alumnus, Harold Smoliar, English horn player of the Pittsburgh Symphony, spoke to National Music Camp oboist during the orchestra's visit in July, 1981. Adrian Gnam appeared during the 1981 summer season also, as guest conductor of the University Sinfonietta; he also performed the Vivaldi F Major Concerto. John Mack of the Cleveland Orchestra gave three master classes at the IAA on December 11, 1981 devoted to works of Barret, Ferling, and concertos of Haydn, Mozart, Goossens, and Dittersdorf.
