General Information
A weekend for all featuring major artists in concerts, master classes, and lectures, along with oboe exhibits, raffles, a college and high school solo competition, and double reed ensemble participation. Founded in 1991 by Mark Weiger, Professor of Oboe at The University of Iowa, OctOBOEfest is held every other year at UI.
Guest Artists
PETER COOPER
A prizewinner in the Tokyo International Oboe Competition, he has been soloist with orchestras in Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and England, as well as with the San Francisco Symphony.
Mr. Cooper has been invited to perform as Guest Principal Oboist with many noted ensembles. He frequently plays with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in Minnesota and has recorded and toured with them. In 2007 he also performed and recorded with the Atlanta Symphony. Others include the Boston, Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee and San Diego Symphonies, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Principal Oboist of the Colorado Symphony since 1993 and faculty member of the University of Colorado at Boulder, Mr. Cooper has also held positions as Associate Principal Oboist of the San Francisco Symphony and Principal Oboist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
In 2000 he premiered the David Mullikin Oboe Concerto with the Colorado Symphony and recorded it in 2001 with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in London for Summit Records. The disc also includes the Richard Strauss Oboe Concerto. The BBC Classical Music Magazine in its review of this CD praised Mr. Cooper as, “a first rate soloist”. He previously recorded Swiss composer Heinrich Schweizer’s Oboe Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, after premiering this work with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. He has also premiered concertos by Gregory Walker with the Colorado Symphony and Chen Gang with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Bill Douglas’ “Songs and Dances for Oboe and Strings”.
He has coached and toured with the Asian Youth Orchestra in the Far East, and the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado. He has been a Principal Oboist of the Grand Teton Music Festival since 2001 and has performed as Principal Oboist in the Oregon Bach Festival, St Barth Music Festival, El Paso Chamber Music Festival, and Strings in the Mountains. A 1981 graduate of Northwestern University, Mr. Cooper studied with Ray Still and Gladys Elliot. Peter Cooper plays on Marigaux oboes and Strasser-Marigaux has sponsored him in a series of master classes and recitals throughout the United States.
GORDON HUNT
Mr. Hunt was born in London and studied at the Royal College of Music with Terence MacDonaugh. He is recognized as one of the world’s leading oboists and enjoys an extensive career throughout the world as a soloist and conductor, and also regularly takes master classes and performs with many renowned ensembles. In addition, he has a distinguished orchestral career. Currently Principal Oboe in the Philharmonia and London Chamber Orchestra, he has previously held the same position in the London Philharmonic Orchestra and has also played as Guest Principal with the Berlin Philharmonic.
Recognised as one of the world's leading oboists, he appears regularly as soloist with international orchestras, having worked with conductors such as Ashkenazy, Andrew Davis, Giulini, Kondrashin, Muti, Sir John Pritchard, Sir Simon Rattle, Sinopoli, Tate and Welser-Most. In response to many invitations, he has made a major commitment to conducting, and now works regularly with orchestras and ensembles in several countries. He was Music Director of the Swedish Chamber Winds from 1991 to 1997 and the Danish Chamber Players through 2004. Continuing to work with wind ensembles in several countries, he has appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa, the Johannesburg Philharmonic, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in New Zealand, and now works regularly with the Danish Radio Orchestra. An Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music and professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Mr. Hunt is much in demand for advice from students and professionals worldwide.
Gordon Hunt broadcasts frequently on radio and television and has made numerous recordings. He was invited to perform the Adagio from Albinoni's Oboe Concerto in D minor at the Service of Prayer and Dedication following the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He performed this with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Christopher Warren-Green as the Prince and the Duchess processed into the Chapel and up to the altar for the service. An estimated worldwide television audience of 500 million people will have watched this performance.
Engagements for the next three years as soloist and conductor include visits to France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, South America, the U.S.A., Australia, Canada and Japan, as well as concerts in Great Britain. Gordon Hunt plays an XL Oboe made in 2000 by Howarth of London.
HUMBERT LUCARELLI
Bert Lucarelli has distinguished himself as one of America¹s foremost
musicians. He has been hailed as "America¹s leading oboe recitalist" by The
New York Times, and The New York Daily News notes he "has proven his
pre-eminence among oboists today". Bert Lucarelli has appeared extensively
as soloist with internationally known orchestras and chamber music groups
throughout the United States, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. He
has performed and recorded with some of the world¹s leading conductors
including Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Fiedler, Kiril Kondrshin, Josef Krips,
James Levine, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Artur Rodzinsky, Sir Georg Solti, Leopold
Stokowski and Igor Stravinsky. He records for Koch International, Vox, BMG
Classics, Well-Tempered, Lyrichord, MCA Classics, Musical Heritage Society,
Pantheon Stradivari and Special Music. Among his many recordings to his
credit is the Oboe Concerto written for him by John Corigliano premiered by
him with the American Symphony Orchestra to a standing ovation at Carnegie
Hall. Mr. Lucarelli is the recipient of a Solo Recitalist Fellowship,
Consortium Commissioning and Music Recording Grant from the National
Endowment for the Arts. He is Professor of Oboe at The Hartt School in West
Hartford, Connecticut and SUNY Purchase, and has just completed his 11th
annual Music Mountain workshops in CT and MA this past summer.
ELIZABETH ANN YOUNG
Elizabeth Ann Young, Assistant Professor of double reeds at Eastern
Kentucky University, was previously the oboe instructor at Coe College
and Kirkwood Colleges in Iowa and at Snow College in Utah. She
recieved her BM and MM degress from Brigham Young University and
continued her Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Iowa. She
is an avid chamber musician, playing with the Madison Winds, the
rsident woodwind quintet at Eastern Kentucky University, and
collaborating with the Trio Uinta, based in Wyoming. Elizabeth
regularly works with the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra and is a
resident faculty member of the Stephen Foster Music Camps (KY) and
Wyoming's Music, Arts and Technology Festival .
Housing
Iowa City/Coralville area is home to more than 1800 hotel/motel rooms. There are the standard array of chain motels (Super 8, Fairfield Inn, Motel 6, Days Inn, Best Western, Red Roof Inn, Heartland Inn, Holiday Inn, Ramada, Econolodge) and a wide range of B&Bs. If you have any questions, please email Mark Weiger at mark-weiger@uiowa.edu, or call (319) 335-1661. Following is a listing of hotels/motels within 15 minutes of the university:
IOWA CITY
Alexis Park Inn (319) 337-8665
Bostick Guest House (319 354-2453
Country Inns (319) 351-1010/800-456-4000
Days Inn (319) 354-4400
Iowa House (319) 335-3513
Quality Inns & Suites Highlander (319) 354-2000
Sheraton Hotel (319) 337-4058
Travel Lodge (319) 351-1010
Bella Vista Bed & Breakfast (319) 338-4129
Big Oak Bed & Breakfast (319) 354-2622
Brown Street B&B (319) 338-0435
College Hill House (319) 337-2020
Havercamp B&B (319) 337-4363
Jefferson Guest House (319) 354-2453
Smith’s B&B (319) 338-1316
The Golden Haug (319) 354-4284
CORALVILLE
AmericInn (319) 625/2400/800-634-3444
Best Western (319) 351-0400/800-528-1234
Big 10 Inn (319) 351-6131
Cantebury Inn/Best Western (319) 351-0400/800-798-0400
Capri Motor Lodge (319) 354-5100
Comfort Inn (319) 351-8144
Country Inns & Suites (319) 545-8464
Econo Lodge (319) 354-6000
Express Way Motel (319) 545-2466
Fairfield Inn (319) 337-8382
Hampton Inn (319) 351-6600
Heartland Inn (319) 351-8132/800-334-3277
Holiday Inn Express (319) 625-5000
Holiday Inn Conference Center (319) 351-5049
Iowa Lodge (319) 354-0677
International Gallery Inn (319) 331-0792
Motel 6 (319) 354-0030
Ramada Inn (319) 354-7770
Red Roof Inn (319) 337-9797
Super 8 Motel (319) 337-8388
OTHERS: West Branch: Presidential Inn (319) 643-2526, Tipton Motel (563) 886-3111, West Liberty Motel (319) 627-2125
OctOBOEfest Sponsors
Iowa's OctOBOEfest 2007 is made possible through the generous support of:
- Bocal Music
- Carlos Coelho
- Charles Double reeds
- Eble Music Company
- Howarth Oboes of London
- Loree Paris
- Marigaux Oboes
- Mark Chudnow Woodwinds
- Miller Marketing
- Nora Post, Inc.
- Reck Violin Shop
- Rigoutat Oboes
- The University of Iowa Division of Performing Arts
- WiZARDS! A Double Reed Consort
- West Music Company