COURSES TAUGHT
- Oboe Performance
EDUCATION
- BM, Boston University
ENSEMBLES
- San Francisco Symphony, Principal, 2015-Present
- Chicago Symphony, Principal, 2005-2015
- Metropolitan Opera, Principal, 2002-2005
What is your hometown?
Moscow, Russia
Who were your major teachers?
Ralph Gomberg, Sergei Velikanov, and Alexander Izotov (my father).
What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?
"You will never meet a greater challenge than your own potential.”
What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?
When I heard the second movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto on the radio. I was six years old.
If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?
Mahler, Richard Strauss, and Verdi.
What recordings can we hear you on?
Stravinsky: The Complete Pulcinella, Chicago Symphony, Boulez (CSO Resound)
Mahler: Symphony No. 6, Chicago Symphony, Haitink (CSO Resound)
Rachmaninov: Vocalise (Boston Records)
Where else have you taught?
I previously served on the faculties of The Juilliard School and DePaul University. I also currently teach at the Music Academy of the West and Pacific Music Festival (Sapporo, Japan).
