Left to right: Grover Schiltz, Michael Henoch, Richard Kanter, Ray Still
Since 1891 the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has been in the forefront of major United States orchestras. Its history begins with the first Theodore Thomas concerts in 1869, and for a time the orchestra was known as the Theodore Thomas Orchestra. In 1912 the orchestra adapted the name of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra officially. Frederick Stock succeeded Theodore Thomas as conductor, to be followed by Desire Defauw, Artur Rodzinski, Fritz Reiner, Jean Martinon, and its present musical director, Sir Georg Solti.
The present oboe section includes Ray Still, Michael Henoch, Richard Kanter, and Grover Schiltz. I am indebted to Norman Schweikert of the CSO horn section for researching oboe sections from the 1891-2 season to the present. In general, his listings are self-explanatory. In each group, the last name is the English horn player.
Ray Still, who this year completes his 21st season with the Chicago Symphony, has been a soloist with the Orchestra on numerous occasions. He gave the first Chicago Symphony performances of the Mozart and Strauss oboe concerti under Reiner, and in following seasons performed most of the concerti in the solo oboe repertoire. During this season he will play the Bach Double and Brahms Violin concerti on a single program, with Itzak Perlman as soloist.
A member of the Kansas City Philharmonic at the age of 19, Mr. Still began studying oboe with Philip Memoli of MGM studios. He studied briefly later with Fernand Gillet and Bruno Labate, but was most profoundly influenced by his study with Robert Bloom. In 1947 he joined the Buffalo Philharmonic as first chair oboist under William Steinberg. He spent four years as first oboe with the Baltimore Symphony, concurrently holding the post of solo oboe and English horn for Washington's National Orchestra during 1950-51, and also played English horn with the New York Philharmonic during the summer of 1953.
Extremely active as a chamber music player, Mr. Still has performed with the Juilliard, Vermeer, Lenox, and Fine Arts String Quartet and has recorded with the Fine Arts Quartet. For five years he was associated with Canada's Stratford (Ont.) Music Festival as soloist and conductor.
In the summer of 1968 and again in 1970 he spent a month, at the invitation of Seiji Ozawa, as a visiting member of the Japan Philharmonic in Tokyo where he held coaching sessions for the wind section and conducted chamber music classes.
Mr. Still has been a recent participant in Rudolf Serkin's Marlboro (Vermont) Festival and last summer conducted and performed in a series of Mozart's Divertimenti in Courtenay. B.C., on Vancouver Island, Canada.
Michael Henoch was appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1971, as the assistant principal oboist. He began his training on the oboe in the public school music program of Kenosha, Wisconsin. During his high school years, Mr. Henoch studied with Rhadames Angelucci of the Minnesota Orchestra and with Gladys Elliot of the Chicago Lyric Opera. He subsequently received Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from Northwestern University. While in college, he studied with Ray Still, and also played three seasons with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Mr. Henoch was invited by composer Alan Stout to present the premiere performance of his Capriccio for oboe, harp, and percussion in 1968. He also gave the U. S. premiere of Mr. Stout's Intermezzo for English Horn and Orchestra in 1971. Mr. Henoch was a soloist in a series of special Christmas concerts of the New York String Orchestra, conducted by Alexander Schneider, at Carnegie Hall in I 970 and 1971. Those solo appearances included J. S. Bach's Concerto for violin and oboe and Mozart's Concertone, K.V. 190. He has also participated in the Marlboro (Vermont) and Peninsula (Wisconsin) Music Festivals.
Mr. Henoch recently married Louise Dixon, second flutist of the Chicago Symphony. They have given several baroque chamber music recitals together.
A native of Chicago, Dick began playing the oboe in 1949. He studied with Robert Mayer and also with Florian Mueller and Jerry Sirucek. He attended the Curtis Institute of Music where his teachers were Marcel Tabuteau and John deLancie. After graduation in 1957 he joined the Navy Band. Before joining the Chicago Symphony in 1961, he studied with Ray Still and Robert Bloom.
Dick is married to Janet Kanter, an editor of high school history texts, and they have a son David, and four cats. Continuing a tradition begun by his predecessor, Jerry Sirucek, Dick has a pilot's license. He also plays bridge and runs three miles a day.
Grover Schiltz, the Chicago Symphony's English horn, was a member of the Civic Orchestra, the Lyric Opera Orchestra, and the Grant Park Symphony before joining the Chicago Symphony as assistant first oboe in 1959, a post he held for five years before moving to the English horn.
Concurrent with his assignments with the Lyric Opera Orchestra and the Grant Park Symphony were positions with the Kansas City Philharmonic, where he played first oboe; the Boston Pops, with which he toured in 1956; and the St. Louis Sinfonietta, where he played in 1959.
Born in Aurora, Illinois, Mr. Schiltz attended the University of Michigan where he received his Bachelor of Music degree in 1952. He also attended the Berkshire Music Center for two summers before going into the Army, where he played in military bands.
Among his teachers have been Lare Wardrop of the Detroit Symphony and Robert Mayer and Ray Still of the Chicago Symphony.
Mr. Schiltz was for several years on the faculty of Northwestern University, where he also participated in the Northwestern University Chamber Music Society.
Mr. Schiltz is currently interested in the field of Baroque chamber music for which he has undertaken the study of the baroque oboe and the oboe d'amore.