Wayne Rapier

Boston Globe Music Critic, Richard Dyer: "The oboe, like an actor, can play many roles; it can describe, narrate, imitate, and embody; unlike most actors, and best of all, it can sing with a voice that is pure emotion. Wayne Rapier's unusual and wide-ranging program exhibits all those qualities of the instrument. With the help of superb collaborators, Rapier enables the oboe to play all its roles." 

Wayne Rapier, at the age of 14 at National Music Camp at Interlochen, could not get enough music with 8 hours per day of playing his oboe and decided that he should devote his life to music instead of becoming an aeronautical engineer. The following summer at NMC, he was voted "best musician of the year" and offered a scholarship to Eastman at the age of 16. He studied oboe with Earnest Harrison, Robert Sprenkle and Marcel Tabuteau. Before joining the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1970 as Associate First Oboist, he played Principal Oboe in the following Orchestras: Indianapolis (age 19), U.S. Marine Band and Orchestra attached to the White House in Washington, Kansas City, Baltimore, Philadelphia's Robin Hood Dell and the Boston Pops. During his 5 years as Associate First Oboist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, he played the Philadelphia premiere of the Strauss Oboe Concerto and toured Europe with the Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet and Philadelphia String Quartet. From his five years as Professor of Oboe at the Oberlin Conservatory, ten of his students became major orchestra oboists. Mr. Rapier has played concerti with the Orchestras of Rochester (Bloom Requiem), Baltimore (Mozart Concertante), Sidney (Mozart C Major), Melbourne (Camerosa and Marcello) and the Boston Pops (Goossens). Wayne Rapier was offered the assistant Principal Oboe job in Chicago (Reiner) and the Principal Oboe jobs in Cleveland (Szell), Detroit, Dallas and the National Symphony. 

Wayne Rapier is responsible for producing the tape recordings by his teacher, Marcel Tabuteau.  He is a commercial pilot with a Certified Flight Instrument Instructor's rating. He teaches at the Longy School and privately.