“The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association has appointed William Welter, a recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the holder of an artist diploma from the Oberlin Conservatory, as principal oboe,” writes John von Rhein in Tuesday’s (6/26) Chicago Tribune. “The appointment is to take effect this fall … At 24, Welter will be one of the youngest musicians ever to be named to a first-chair position with the CSO. He will succeed Alex Klein, who left the orchestra last year after being denied tenure. Music Director Riccardo Muti appointed the native Iowan based on the recommendation of a committee of orchestra members that auditioned oboe candidates this season…. Born in Omaha, Neb., and raised in Crescent, Iowa, Welter spent four years at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia … He most recently completed his artist diploma at the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, and has attended the Tanglewood Music Center and Aspen Music Festival…. His probationary period at the CSO will begin with the orchestra’s initial week of concerts for the 2018-19 season … Welter is untested in the big leagues of U.S. symphony orchestras and, indeed, has never played with a full-sized professional orchestra, let alone as a principal. He will assume a key role in one of the world’s foremost woodwind choirs.”
Posted June 28, 2018
