“What's in My Case?” Sherry Sylar, Oboe

There’s a lot more to playing the oboe than making a beautiful sound. Associate Principal Oboe Sherry Sylar shows what’s in her cases, and also demonstrates her reed-making practice, tools, and her creativity and craftiness. Her upcycling ideas might even inspire some ideas in non-oboe players!
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[@saidtoshimaru1832]

I never expected to hear: "Here are my favourite knives" from such a nice lady.

[@Xingqiwu387]

Wonderful video! Sherry Sylar is without doubt my favorite American oboist! Her sound is almost European - so much warmer, rounder, mellower than most American oboists I've heard. I hope she tries the Reeds 'n Stuff shaper and profiler - or for that matter from any other company. The profiler in particular makes reed making so much easier and faster. Thank you for the extraordinary BEAUTY you add to our world!

[@hautboisteacheroboe]

Sherry, very helpful for students.

[@ViniciusRodrigues-nk4bs]

Thank you! Lovely craft and sounds!

[@fabmanly1070]

The knives, that’s just brilliant, thanks.

[@tonibuzzard9312]

I really enjoyed this video. Reminds me of when I imported cane from Alliaud in France in the 70s to 90s and gouged, shaped made reeds for students in a few other Universities. Lost my close up vision (macular degeneration) and so no longer able to make reeds. Grew up in Phila. watching my father make bassoon reeds. Making Oboe reeds was not hard to learn for me. Even made some for Bert Lucarelli for a tour he made. Still looking to sell my gouger (K.Michel) and Kal Opperman pre-gouger. Thank you for nice memories.

[@archaeogrrrl]

Thank you so much, that was FASCINATING.

[@IUmusicBoi]

Love it! A real musician! How you get there doesn’t matter as long as it works for you and gets the desired results…I’ve studied with some great (and not so great) people at Indiana University and Juilliard and other off-hand lessons…This is how you do it…find what works for you…not obsessing over .5 mm 🙄…Fun interview!

[@Melissatuba]

My genuine hero!!! Wow!! Great info for every musician in this youtube video!!

[@UltimaForsan101]

Thanks, Sherry!

[@KristineAustriaSanchez]

Really enjoyed seeing the upcycled tips, especially with the old steel razors. Playing the oboe can get really expensive, so I thought that was very creative.

[@aspenx1304]

Fascinating video. I have just gotten into Oboe. And your video is very helpful.

[@theamaturepro]

I appreciate you. Thank you

[@TheAnnaFisher]

Love this so much! Thank you for sharing! 👑🙏🏼🎶❤🌎

[@oaktadopbok665]

When I was a child in the early 1960s. my oboe reeds cost $4.00, hand made by a guy down the street . . good times

[@kristinmontes2974]

I hope to be an oboist for the philharmonic one day

[@kingchoi718]

I have a home made tools for reed making too!

[@katie4623]

Do all oboe players make their own reeds?

[@prod.domino]

all professional oboists should make their own reeds, yes

[@nomorebushz]

Most professional oboists do make their own reeds, unless they have another oboist that makes enough pro reeds for them to purchase from. It takes devotion to make your own reeds, and enough of them, to find your performance reeds.

[@marcusbrutus76]

another tasteless apple fallen from the tabuteau tree…marcel should have stayed in france…….btw I heard you play the offstage solo in symphonie fantastique and your high notes were flat

[@isaacbarrow1301]

How much of a jaded person do you have to be to write a comment like that? Tabuteau moved to the US when he was barely 18, just out of the Paris Conservatoire and was head hunted by Walter Damrosch - how could you say no? More than that, had he stayed in France, the state of oboe playing in the US would have carried on it's meagre trajectory and Tabuteau would have become just another oboist in the French canon (Gillet, Barret, Borgue, Tys, Leleux etc). Personally, I think it's fantastic that almost all oboe players in the US can trace back their lineage of teachers to Tabuteau - we don't have anything quite like that in Europe. As for a few flat notes, no one can play perfectly every time (even oboists!), it's what makes live music so electric and exciting - each performance is different (for better or worse). It sounds like, to me, someone has a bit of a superiority complex - it is a fact of life that someone, somewhere will always be better than you at something.