Oboist Ben Fox‘s versatility matches the diversity of venues in which he has performed. From Carnegie Hall to retirement homes, rural churches in Panamá to nightclubs in Honolulu, Ben’s joy comes from sharing music with everyone.

After working with a myriad of orchestras in the Boston area, Ben joined the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra for their 2013-14 season, playing Associate Principal Oboe and English Horn. Believing in the healing potential of live classical music, he brought together HSO colleagues to perform for bedridden hospital patients – a pursuit he continues with colleagues in Boston.

For years Ben has been Principal Oboe of the Marsh Chapel Collegium, whose performances of cantatas and oratorios by Bach and Handel reach a worldwide audience via radio and internet broadcasts. Besides a love of this Baroque and other common practice repertoire, he is also devoted to new music, premiering works, performing concerts, and recording albums with the contemporary music ensemble Callithumpian Consort. Recently, he has paired an interest in swing dancing with the sister art of blues and gypsy jazz improvisation.

A passionate educator, Ben enjoys teaching students of every age and ability. He teaches oboists how to practice, sight-read, make reeds, and perform with conviction. In addition to nurturing musicians’ artistic talents, Ben has also taught music theory classes, developing students’ analytical skills by exploring the inner workings of a composition in order to reveal its organization, coherence and beauty. In coaching chamber music, he challenges each player to balance their individual expression with the sensitivity required of good collaborators in order to present a performance that resonates as fully with each of the ensemble’s members as with their audience. When not playing or teaching music, Ben occupies himself reading, running, dancing and cooking.