( ...continued from page 1 ) During this Baroque heyday of the oboe, the instrument that composers wrote for was a two-key oboe made of soft wood like boxwood or pearwood. As the oboe developed, the bore was made smaller, and keys were added so the range of the oboe could be extended.

Oboe makers also started to use harder woods, so that the oboe could be heard in larger orchestras and bigger concert halls and balance well with the rest of the woodwind section of symphony orchestras. By 1800, the oboe had 6-9 keys. By the early 20th century it had 23 keys and it was made of hard grenadilla wood. That is virtually the instrument that is used in symphonies today.

Q: Please tell us about your particular instrument and how you acquired it.

A: My Baroque oboe was handmade by Joel Robinson, who makes Baroque oboes, shawms and bagpipes in a shop near Delancey Street in New York City. My oboe is made of boxwood, has two keys, and is designed after 18th century originals from Saxony. I have worked with Joel for over ten years, and we are constantly modifying the design slightly, especially the bell. Unlike a violin, an original 200-year-old oboe (which makers base their modern copies from) does not always improve with age, due to the moisture from blowing. The inside contracts and sometimes warps a little or cracks. To make a Baroque oboe today play as beautifully as an 18th century original requires slight modifications to compensate for bore changes.

Q: How did you come to study Baroque oboe?

A: My interest in historical oboes goes back to when I was a student at Mount Holyoke College, in Massachusetts, where I studied the “modern” oboe with Wayne Rapier (oboist of the Boston Symphony), and also played lead shawm in a seven-piece all-girl shawm band. ( continued on page 3... )