Philip Ross

Philip Ross grew up surrounded by oboists, so when he was old enough to join the school band program in his hometown of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Phil naturally chose the oboe. Many oboists knew his late father, Dan, and many more use the gouging machines he designed and manufactured. Dan held the position of Principal Oboe of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for over 20 years and was Professor of Double Reeds at Arkansas State University for 49 years. Although Phil played violin and piano throughout his childhood, he spent much of his adolescence either in his father’s shop turning out parts on the milling machine, or sitting in his father’s studio watching him make reeds. Oboists from all over the country would visit Dan to have their machines serviced by him and to learn how to adjust them to their liking. During these visits from other oboists, Phil would soak in as much knowledge as possible from them, and most were happy to share some of their tricks of the trade with him.

Mr. Ross holds a Bachelor’s of Music Performance degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master’s of Music Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts where he studied with Richard Killmer and Alex Klein respectively. Philip has made several guest appearances with other orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the New York Philharmonic, he has also been a featured soloist of the SLSO on three occasions and has participated in music festivals and masterclasses all over the country. In addition to performing regularly with the SLSO, Phil can usually be found in his shop at his home, continuing his father’s business of making and maintaining the machines his father developed.

Philip joined the SLSO in 2005 after being appointed as 2nd oboist by David Robertson. During this time, Philip had the privilege to sit next to his musical idol, Peter Bowman, former Principal Oboe of the SLSO. Phil soaked-in as much musical information as possible during those years playing next to Peter, and it was at this time Philip began using oboes made by A. Laubin of New York. These hand-made, individualized instruments helped match Bowman’s exquisite sound and precise scale. After Peter left the orchestra, Phil was appointed Associate Principal Oboe following a successful audition in 2017. He attributes much of this success to these unparalleled instruments. Phil currently plays on instruments made by all three generations of the Laubin family and has this to say about them: “To me, the Laubin oboe is the ideal instrument for American orchestral oboe playing. The sound is complex, colorful, compact and projects beautifully in the hall. The scale is within a few cents of 0 from the lowest note to A7 and response is precise and uniform throughout every range, as if designed around long-scrape reeds. Even the trills are well-voiced and in tune – real notes!”