Philippe Tondre

International Visiting Artist (Oboe)

Philippe Tondre has established himself as one of the most remarkable oboists of his generation. Described as "Breathtaking" by the BBC, praised for his "Noble and pure" sound by the New York Times and for his “Amazing sovereignty” by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he has built an international career distinguished by its versatility, appearing worldwide as a chamber musician, soloist, orchestral musician and pedagogue.

Born in 1989 in Mulhouse, France, he began studying the oboe with Yves Cautrès before continuing at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris with David Walter. He also received guidance from Heinz Holliger, Maurice Bourgue, Nathalie Stutzmann, Jacques Tys, Jean-Louis Capezzali, Ingo Goritzki and Dominik Wollenweber.

His professional career began early : at 18 years old he was appointed Principal Oboe of the SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, a position he held from 2008 to 2021. He later served as Principal Oboe of the Budapest Festival Orchestra from 2014 to 2020 and Principal Oboe of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig from 2016 to 2017. In 2020 he was appointed Principal Oboe of The Philadelphia Orchestra under Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

A frequent guest with many of the world’s leading orchestras, he often appears as Principal Oboe with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the New York Philharmonic.

In 2010, Seiji Ozawa personally selected him to become Principal Oboe of the Mito Chamber Orchestra and the Saito Kinen Orchestra in Japan, positions he continues to hold today. Since 2019 he has also served as Principal Oboe of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, further reflecting his deep commitment to chamber music and orchestral collaboration.

An internationally sought-after soloist, Philippe Tondre performs regularly with major orchestras and conductors around the world. Among his notable milestones are his debut at the Berlin Philharmonie in 2013, performing Bohuslav Martinu’s Oboe Concerto with the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, and his Carnegie Hall New York debut in 2022, performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s Oboe Concertos with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

He was awarded international prizes at the Geneva, Prague Spring, Sony Tokyo Japan, IDRS Gillet-Fox competitions, culminating in winning the ARD International Competition in Munich in 2011. In 2012, he received the Beethoven Ring from the Beethovenfest Bonn, joining an illustrious list of recipients including Julia Fischer, Lisa Batiashvili, Igor Levit and Gustavo Dudamel.

A dedicated chamber musician and recording artist, Philippe Tondre has released three critically acclaimed albums to date : Contrasts, featuring works by Robert Schumann; French Fragrances, devoted to the French oboe repertoire; and Eastern Enchantment, exploring Slavic and Hungarian music. His recordings have received numerous distinctions, including the « Diapason d’Or Découverte » as well as the « 5 Diapason » Award from Diapason, « Choc » from Classica and the « Sublime » distinction from Arts & Sens.

Alongside his performing career, Philippe Tondre is deeply committed to teaching and mentoring the next generation of musicians. He was Professor of Oboe at the Hochschule für Musik Saar from 2015 to 2023, and in 2022 was appointed Professor of Oboe at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He also holds the title of International Visiting Artist at the Royal College of Music in London and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and is a regular guest at the Guildhall School of Music in London, as well as at the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music in New York.

Philippe Tondre is represented by Klarthe Management in France and by Hirasa Ltd in Japan.

For more information, visit philippetondre.com.

Faculties / departments: Woodwind