Oboist’s Passion Extends Beyond State Lines

Peter Davies, a Texan–born oboist attending the Eastman School of Music in New York, has found his way back to Texas this summer to perform at the Festival Hill Institute. Throughout his musical career thus far, Davies has had the chance to perform in various ensembles, including the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra and the National Orchestral Institute Festival Orchestra. And all this can be traced back to his first source of inspiration: his older brother.

“My brother played the clarinet in the music program at our school. I remember going to one of his concerts when I was younger, and I fell in love with the sound of the oboes. So, when I was older and finally able to join my middle school’s music program, that’s the instrument I chose,” shared Davies.

From the moment he picked up his instrument, Davies has put in hours of practice and hard work. From competitions to auditions, there hasn’t been a moment where he stopped learning new music and techniques. In his time at the Eastman School of Music, Davies has learned how to perform on different versions of the oboe from the Baroque period onwards, as well as learned instruments new to him, like the piano. Davies has also performed in several different countries with the National Youth Orchestra USA, which in and of itself is a new challenge to overcome.

“Every place that you go to, there are going to be different teaching and playing styles, so it’s definitely something that you learn to adapt to when you perform. Even audience reactions are different depending on where you are, because in some places, the audience claps in the middle of a performance when they hear something particularly impressive, rather than at the end,” Davies explained.

While Davies has been at the Festival Hill Institute in Round Top, he’s been able to perform with other people from around the world and has had fun learning and playing with them. In an ensemble, the musicians in each section typically play on similar models of their instrument, but because there are people from different places who play on different equipment, there’s multiple different types of oboes in the ensemble Davies is a part of.

Once Davies’ time at Round Top comes to a close, he will be returning to New York to finish up his senior year at the Eastman School of Music and decide what the future of his career will look like.

Davies said, “I definitely plan to start auditioning for orchestras after graduation. I’ve done one audition already, and it was challenging and super competitive. But, I might possibly apply to grad school to further my education in music. Graduation is coming up quickly though, so I’ll definitely need to make a decision soon.”