Richard Woodhams ''(né'' Richard Clarence Woodhams; born June 17, 1949 in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...

) is an American

oboist An oboist (formerly hautboist) is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the oboe d'amore, cor anglais or English horn, bass oboe and piccolo oboe or oboe musette. The following is a list of notable past and pres ...

and recording artist. He was Principal

Oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

of the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

from 1977 until his retirement in August 2018. He also served as Professor of Oboe at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

from 1985 until his dismissal in 2021. At the age of fifteen, Woodhams was accepted by the Curtis Institute and began study with

John de Lancie John Sherwood de Lancie, Jr. (born March 20, 1948) is an American actor, television director, director, film producer, producer, writer, and comedian, best known for his role as Q (Star Trek), Q in various ''Star Trek'' series (1987–present); ...

, graduating in 1968. In 1969, he won the position of Principal Oboe with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under Music Director

Walter Susskind Jan Walter Susskind (1 May 1913 – 25 March 1980) was a Czech-born British conductor, teacher and pianist. He began his career in his native Prague, and fled to Britain when Germany invaded the city in 1939. He worked for substantial periods in ...

. He assumed the position of principal oboe of the

in 1977, succeeding his teacher. He succeeded de Lancie as oboe instructor at the Curtis Institute in 1985. He is faculty member at the

Aspen Music Festival The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, the ...

and has taught at the Luzerne and Sarasota Music Festivals, among others. Woodhams's teachers include Raymond Dusté,

John Mack John Mack may refer to: * John Martin Mack (1715–1784), Moravian bishop * John Mack (Medal of Honor recipient) (1843–1881), American Civil War sailor and Medal of Honor recipient * John J. Mack (coach) (1870–1923), Yale University track coac ...

Robert Bloom Robert Bloom (May 3, 1908February 13, 1994) was an oboist with an orchestral and solo career, a composer and arranger contributing to the oboe repertory, and a teacher of several successful oboists. Bloom is considered seminal in the development of ...

, and Jean-Louis LeRoux. Woodhams's students hold principal positions in many major orchestras, such as the

Chicago Symphony The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

(William Welter),

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

( Liang Wang), Houston Symphony (Jonathan Fischer),

Pittsburgh Symphony The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Sy ...

( Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida),

Baltimore Symphony The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

( Katherine Needleman), and Atlanta Symphony ( Elizabeth Koch Tiscione); other students in major orchestras includ
Robert Walters
English Hornist of th
Cleveland OrchestraShea Scruggs
Assistant Principal Oboe of th
Baltimore Symphony OrchestraJonathan Blumenfeld
Second Oboist of th
Philadelphia Orchestra
Peter Smith, Associate Principal Oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra, an
Susan Spector
Second Oboist of th
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

References

Biography
at the Philadelphia Orchestra's website 1949 births Living people American classical oboists Male oboists Aspen Music Festival and School faculty Musicians from Palo Alto, California Curtis Institute of Music alumni Classical musicians from California Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra {{US-woodwind-musician-stub