Principal

Praised for “breathtaking” solo playing by the Hartford Courant, Heather Taylor‘s tenure as Principal Oboist with the Hartford Symphony began in 1993. Ms. Taylor has performed as guest Principal Oboist with the San Diego and Florida Symphony Orchestras, Principal Oboist with The Richmond Symphony, The Grant Park Orchestra of Chicago, IRIS Orchestra, the Robert Shaw Institute tour of Southwest France, and as Principal Oboist for the Alexander Schneider String Orchestra. She has substituted with the Metropolitan Opera and as Associate Principal Oboist with the St. Louis Symphony.

Ms. Taylor performed the Vaughan Williams Oboe Concerto as a Concerto competition winner with the Cleveland Institute Orchestra. Prior Solo appearances with the Hartford Symphony include the Jennifer Higdon Oboe Concerto in 2017, Handel Concertos in Bb Major and g minor, Riley Fantasy for Oboe and String Orchestra, and the 2002 performances of the Bach Concerto for oboe and violin with Joseph Silverstein. An avid chamber musician, Taylor has performed with colleagues of the Hartford Symphony’s Sunday Serenades and Hartford public library series, including the oboe quartets of Mozart and Britten, and current season’s Loeffler Rhapsodies for oboe, viola and piano.

Ms. Taylor has performed on stage with many commercial artists including Dizzy Gillespie, Rod Stewart, Judy Collins, Johnny Mathis, Andrea Bocelli, Henri Mancini and Luciano Pavarotti; along with many Goodspeed Opera house and Bushnell Broadway series productions including Man of La Mancha, Beauty and The Beast, Lion King, King and I, Titanic, and Wicked among others.  Taylor was Principal Oboist in the American premiere complete performances of Elliott Carter’s “Symphonia” with Monadnock Music in Sanders Theatre, Boston. Ms. Taylor was invited to perform and record the Bach Brandenburg Concerti with the Boston Chamber Music Society in 2000. She can be heard on the Grammy nominated recording of works by Robert Kurka with The Grant Park Orchestra on Cedille Records and the recording of music by Stephen Hartke with the IRIS Orchestra on Naxos Records: The New York Times Best Classical CD listing for 2003.

Heather Taylor received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School as a Naumberg scholarship recipient studying with Elaine Douvas, Principal Oboist of The Metropolitan Opera and Master’s Degree from The Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of John Mack, former Principal Oboist with the Cleveland Orchestra. A dedicated teacher, Taylor currently serves as adjunct instructor at the University of Connecticut and also maintains a private teaching studio.

Ms. Taylor especially enjoys spending spare time with her husband trekking Vermont’s Green Mountains.