Spencer Rubin, Oboe Student, The Juilliard School: On Oboe Reeds, Juilliard and Favourite Oboe Concertos
Spencer Rubin. Photo by DAG Photography
Spencer Rubin is a student at The Juilliard School. He studies the oboe with Elaine Douvas and is the recipient of a full merit Kovner Fellowship scholarship. He has earned numerous grand prize and first place awards in national and international competitions and has performed as a soloist with orchestras. Spencer is also a trailblazer on social media, making classical music and the oboe accessible through his channels on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. TWoA talked to Spencer about his musical journey, the oboe and much else.
Musical Beginnings
Spencer grew up in a musical household. His mom was a flautist when she was younger, his older brother played the cello: “It just felt natural for me to get into music. It felt like the right thing to do, it felt comfortable. I started out on piano when I was about five or six years old. I played piano for about four years. It was okay, I didn't really love it. When I was around eight, I picked up the oboe for the first time. I always knew I wanted to play a unique instrument. I was listening to a bunch of orchestral recordings. The tone and sound of the oboe is so prominent and really stuck out to me. It felt very similar to the human voice, I think I felt that connection to it.”
Spencer played both the oboe and the piano for about two years, and then realised he couldn't study both if he wanted to really pursue one of them. He dropped piano and focused solely on playing oboe. In eighth grade, he went to Juilliard pre-college and studied there for about five years before enrolling at Juilliard for college. He is now going into his third year of college.
For an oboist, he started playing the instrument at a very young age. Most people start on a different wind instrument and then move to oboe, whereas Spencer started on the oboe right away: “I think it's definitely been nice to have a lot of time to just spent on the instrument because it does take a really long time to get to know it, to figure out all of the problems that are associated with the oboe.”
The Challenges of the Oboe
To begin with, it takes a long time to sound decent: “With the oboe, it's very easy to sound bad. When most people hear an oboe for the first time, they really like it because when it's played well, it sounds really personal and has a singing tone. But it can be frustrating to start out with, because it takes a long time to get past the first stages of kind of sounding like a duck, unfortunately.”
But the enchanting sound of an oboe played well is also deceptive: “The oboe is a very finicky instrument. There are different moving parts that go into making one cohesive sound. The main issue, if you're going to call it an issue, is the reed at the top. The oboe, as well as the bassoon, are double reed instruments, meaning it's actually two pieces of cane that are going against each other: when air passes through, they vibrate. When you start off, you can buy reeds. Most people buy reeds throughout playing the oboe, but for those who want to pursue playing oboe at the highest level, playing in an orchestra and teaching students, we actually make our own reeds. I would say that we spend more time making reeds than practising.”
The Mystery of the Oboe Reed
Proving his point, Spencer holds up a bag with cane into the Zoom camera. He was preparing cane at his desk before our Zoom call: “We get this from France, usually. It starts out as a tube, then you do all these things to it, and eventually, it gets to a piece of cane that looks like this!” Spencer holds up a totally flat piece of cane that to the lay person resembles a short piece of flat, uncooked pasta. “The whole process is very intricate. It takes many years to figure out.” Spencer estimates that he has figured out less than sixty percent of what he needs to know to understand how an oboe reed can really function properly.
Spencer started to learn the art of reed making from his teacher when he was in high school, about six years after he started playing the oboe. Before that, his teacher had made his reeds: “We started out with the most basic, first stage of making a reed: tying the piece of cane onto the tube. I did that for about a year. I got comfortable with that process. When you're making a reed, the things that you do in the beginning really dictate the rest of the reed. If you do something wrong in the early stages, even if you scrape it perfectly, it won't turn out well. It's really important to spend a lot of time on those early processes and try to master the beginning stages of the reed making process.”
But there is only so much a teacher can teach. Reeds are very personal: what works for one person may not work for another. The teacher can only pass on the general rules of the craft and how to tackle certain problems. It’s ultimately up to the player to figure out how to make a reed that fits his own personal requirements: “You just try to build up problem solving techniques throughout the years. With each reed I make, I try to make a mental note. Sometimes I'll write in my reed journal what I've learned from each reed because it can get a little bit frustrating when you make ten reeds, and only one or two of them work. But if you try to learn from each reed and then implement what you learn, eventually you'll be able to make more reeds that pass all of the tests in the long run.”
Adapting to Uncertainty
Oboist clearly need to acquire a high tolerance for uncertainty: “It's frustrating, because each day and each time you pick up the oboe, your instrument is different. It's a lot about adapting to your surroundings and adapting to the reed.” This sounds scary. Imagine violinists needing to learn how to make their own strings, or dancers making their own pointe shoes. How do oboists deal with the constant uncertainty associated with a key part of their instrument? There is no easy answer: “The whole thing is very scary. That's why a lot of oboists are stressed all the time and on edge, because we never know how a reed will act. The reeds also change based on the weather, they change based on how long you've used them, at what altitude you are playing. There are so many factors that go into how a reed will play at any given moment.”
Preparing for Competitions and Performances
Even if problems associated with the oboe reed take up some mental space, ultimately, it’s all about making music and performing. Performing and competing also require a certain mindset. Spencer did a lot of competitions when he was in late middle school and early high school: “I really enjoyed doing these competitions because it would force me to put in the preparation and the work to make a compelling performance and to be proud of how I prepared my music for that specific performance. Going into any competition or any musical moment when people are watching me, I know that I need to trust my preparation the most because I tend to be more nervous when I don't know that I've prepared the most that I absolutely could have prepared. I like to do a lot of practice run throughs in front of people, and by myself. I think recording yourself is super important because sometimes, you hear things in the recording that you don't necessarily hear when you're playing. That, and just trusting the advice of your teachers is really critical for making a compelling performance and one that you're proud of.”
Advice on Applying to Juilliard
Many aspiring young musicians around the world dream of studying at Juilliard, but it’s important to remember that it is not so much the brand of the school than your teacher who will determine your learning experience. Spencer advises: “Take as many lessons as you can with the faculty there before your audition. This is a very normal thing to do. You shouldn't be afraid to reach out to the teachers. I think Juilliard seems like this scary place: there are all these amazing people and great teachers, but they all really want everyone to succeed. It's not like you go in and they break you down to then build you back up. I mean, some of them are - it's their own style of teaching. But you should try to take advantage of all the resources that they have. Reach out to teachers. After COVID, everyone is an expert on Zoom. I am sure some would be happy to offer zoom lessons.”
Reaching out to students is another way of gathering information: “The students are very nice and welcoming. I'm sure they would love to answer any questions. Visit the area and visit the school itself. We have lots of tours that go on every day. We have our own students giving the tours. We can give you a more in depth look at the school and show you everything that it has to offer.”
Ultimately, just focus on your playing: “This is very boring and basic, but just practice. You do have to be able to prove your skill level and your musical maturity. But they're also not looking for a perfect person to welcome into the school: they want someone where they can see the musical potential. They want to be able to shape you into the even better player they know you could be.”
Exploring the Oboe: Spencer Recommends
It’s impossible to talk to Spencer and not feel inspired to further explore the oboe repertoire. Spencer recommends starting with the Domenico Cimarosa oboe concerto, which is also a great first oboe concerto to play. The oboe started as a baroque instrument, therefore many Baroque composers like Handel and Vivaldi wrote amazing oboe concertos. Jumping to more contemporary repertoire, Spencer recommends Benjamin Britten’s Six Metamorphosis after Ovid as a great piece for solo oboe that also has a really interesting story that goes along with it. Just listen to the music while reading about the story. Spencer also loves the Antonio Pasculli concertos: “I think they're super flamboyant and showy, but also super musical and intimate. It’s a great combination of different types of music in one piece.” So go and listen – or play!
Wait a minute – there will be a second part of this interview! If you don’t want to miss Spencer’s recommendations for the best things to do in New York, subscribe to our free electronic newsletter at the bottom of the page or follow us on Instagram @teenworldarts