Stephen Caplan, Oboe
USA
Stephen Caplan’s performances have been heard at venues throughout the world, including the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall, and have been featured on several recordings. His solo recording of American music for the oboe, A Tree in Your Ear, has received international acclaim. Fanfare Magazine describes it as “sublime” and the British journal Double Reed News writes, “beautifully played… it is hard to imagine anyone not enjoying this CD.”
Principal oboist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Caplan also plays in orchestras accompanying popular “superstars” on the Las Vegas Strip. He is Professor of Oboe at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and serves on the faculties of the Renova Music Festival in western Pennsylvania and the Orfeo Music Festival in the Italian Alps. His eclectic performance background includes professional affiliations with a baroque period-instrument ensemble and a Sousa style concert band, as well as soundtracks for television and film. He has been a featured soloist with numerous orchestras including the Arctic Chamber Orchestra, Festival Orchestra of Chernigov (Ukraine), Las Vegas Philharmonic, New Orleans Philharmonic, and the Oregon Symphony. His performances have been heard on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered and Performance Today. He has played in orchestras seen on the Latin Grammys, televised internationally, and the PBS presentation 50 Years of Michel Legrand. With the Sierra Winds, Caplan can be heard on five critically acclaimed recordings and has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards including the Nevada Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.
Dr. Caplan is a sought after clinician whose innovative courses and workshops for music students incorporate a better understanding of the body in performance, based on Body Mapping. He is the author of Oboemotions: What Every Oboe Player Needs to Know about the Body published by GIA Publications, acclaimed as “the operating manual for oboists.” He has a Bachelor of Music from Northwestern University and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan, and is a licensed Andover Educator. Dr. Caplan, a Buffet Group USA Performing Artist, performs exclusively on Buffet’s Greenline Oboe.