Christopher Cowie is the Joint Principal Oboe of the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Principal Oboe of the Academy of St Martin-in-the-fields Chamber Orchestra. Previously he has held the principal oboe positions in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
He studied the oboe at the Royal College of Music, London, with Michael Winfield where he was awarded an Exhibition and the senior oboe prize and later with Maurice Bourgue in Paris. During this time Christopher also played principal oboe with the European Community Youth Orchestra.
Christopher has been invited to perform with some of the finest orchestras around the world, including the Bayerischer Rundfunk in Munich, the NDR Symphonie Orchestra in Hamburg, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
As a soloist, Christopher has performed at all the major venues in London and around the UK, under conductors such as Christoph von Dohnanyi, Daniele Gatti, Neeme Jervi, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Neville Marriner and Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
His recordings include the Mozart Concerto under Sir Neville Marriner with the Orquesta de Cadaques, the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the world premiere of the Schnittke Concerto Grosso for flute and oboe with Sharron Bezaly, Owain Arwel Hughes and the Cape Town Philharmonic.
Christopher is also Professor of Oboe at the Royal College of Music in London.
The Philharmonia's Principal Oboe's Chair is endowed by Elizabeth Aitken.
Oboes
The members of the Oboe section.
Players
Find out more about the people behind the music.
Woodwind Section
Explore the woodwind section; a section whose sound is often compared to that of a choir.
