The first season of the Los Angeles Philharmonic was the 1919-1920 season under the leadership of Walter H. Rothwell, who remained until 1927. Georg Schneevoight assumed the post until 1929 when Arthur Rodzinski became conductor until 1933 and the arrival of Otto Klemperer. Klemperer retired in the 1940-41 season and the orchestra had guest conductors, primarily Leopold Stokowski, Bruno Walter, and Albert Coates. In 1943 Alfred Wallenstein appeared to remain until the 1956-57 season and the arrival of Eduard Van Beinum. With the death of Van Beinum, George Solti led the orchestra until Zubin Mehta began in the 1961-62 season. With the 1978-79 season Zubin Mehta will move to New York and the New York Philharmonic, the duties of Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic will be taken by Carlo Maria Giulini
The summer season of the orchestra is played in an outdoor amphitheatre--the Hollywood Bowl. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is also known as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and is a part of the musicians' yearly contract (since the 1950's). Before that time the Bowl had been a separate entity, although mostly composed of Philharmonic personnel. The first season of the Bowl was in 1922 with Alfred Hertz as the conductor and the oboe section composed of DeBusscher, Memoli, Jr., and O.W. Hoffman.
Since 1973 the oboe section is composed of Barbara Winters and David Weiss, co-principals, Donald Muggeridge, 2nd, and Robert Cowart, English horn. The concept of co-principals, each considered equal, was begun in Los Angeles with the 1970-71 season. Previous to then it was either 1st, 2nd, Assistant and English horn or 1st, 2nd, Associate and English horn.
Joseph Fishman, who played second oboe from 1948 until 1963 (and in Chicago before) became personnel manager in 1963 and still serves the Orchestra in this capacity.
Henri DeBusscher had been a celebrated oboist in London in the early years of the twentieth century, where he emigrated from his native Belgium. He played an automatic octave system Cabart, and was known for the elegance of his playing. Bert Gassman introduced the darker and expansive style of the eastern United States to the audiences of Los Angeles. Both artists contributed greatly to the musical life of the west coast, each in his own style and with his own unique abilities. For an extended article on the work of Henri DeBusscher, please refer to TTWO, Vol. III No. 3.
Barbara Winters graduated cum laude at U.C.L.A. and continued her education with graduate work at U.C.L.A. and Yale University. Among her hobbies are oil painting, golf, southwest American Indian cultures and archeology.
David Weiss returned to Los Angeles in 1973 after having held positions as 1st oboe of the National Symphony, 1st oboe of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and associate 1st oboe of the Metropolitan Opera National Company. As a soloist he has appeared three times in Carnegie Recital Hall, at New York's Caramoor Festival, at Philharmonic Hall, and at the Kennedy Center. With Los Angeles he was soloist first in 1962 when he was 15 years old, and during Hollywood Bowl's Summer Festivals in 1974 and 1975. Weiss studied oboe with William Criss, Robert Bloom, Darrel Stubbs, and Bert Gassman. He is married, has two children, is an avid chess player and saltwater fisherman, and is the official photographer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Donald Muggeridge is a U.C.L.A. graduate where he studied oboe with Bert Gassman. He joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1955 and was granted a leave of absence for a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Amsterdam with Haakon Stotijn in 1958. His hobbies are gardening, tennis, playing wind quintets and real estate. Both his children are studying the oboe.
Robert Cowart received his Bachelor of Music at the University of Indiana in 1957, continuing his study to receive his Masters in Music Education in 1965. Mr. Cowart was with the Atlanta Symphony for five years and the Detroit Symphony for eight years before coming to the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1973. His hobbies are painting and sailing.
1919-20
1920-21
1921-22
1922-23
1923-24
1924-25
1925-26
1926-27
1927-28
1929-30
1930-31
1931-34
1934-35
1934-35
From 1935 until 1946 the section remained the same, DeBusscher, Frost, and Schipilitti, Debusscher and Frost left then, the end of a grand era.
1946-47
1947-48
1948-49
1949-50
1950-51
1951-52
1952-53
1953-54
1954-55
1955-56
1956-57
1957-58
1958-59
1959-60
1960-61
1961-62
1962-63
1963-64
From 1964 until 1973 the section remained the same, In the 1971-72 season Barbara Winters was changed from associate prinicpal to co-principls being instituted in many sections. With the beginning of the 1973-74 season Bert Gassman and William Kosinski retired. David Weiss joined the orchestra as co-principal oboe with Barbara Winters, and Robert Cowart joined the orchestra as English horn.
1973-
(The foregoing information has been taken from programs in the library of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the winter home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The early listings of English horns is the way thery are printed in those programs. I do not know why they were listed that way.)