Charles Hamann

principal oboe

Charles “Chip” Hamann, a native of Lincoln, Nebraska, is recognized as one of Canada’s foremost oboists.  In 1993 he was appointed acting principal oboe of the National Arts Centre Orchestra at the age of 22, and after serving for two seasons in that role, was chosen to become principal oboe of the Orchestra on a permanent basis.

Mr. Hamann studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. He was awarded a Bachelor of Music and the prestigious Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School in 1993, immediately prior to his appointment with NACO. His principal teachers have included Daniel Stolper and Richard Killmer, and he has been deeply influenced by the clinics and workshops of John Ferrillo. 

A passionate and dedicated teacher, he is a member of the Faculty of Music at the University of Ottawa and the National Arts Centre’s Summer Music Institute. In recent seasons he has presented masterclasses and clinics throughout North America for such institutions as the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, the Conservatoire de Québec in Montréal, the University of Toronto, SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence University, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Victoria, the Manhattan School of Music, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the top Mexican universities in Monterey and Mexico City, and the University of Nebraska.

As a lover of chamber music, he participates annually in the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, and has toured in Canada and in the United States with the National Arts Centre Wind Quintet.  He has appeared at the Utah Music Festival and the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival in California, among others.

Charles Hamann’s solo appearances include the Lincoln Symphony, Ottawa’s Thirteen Strings (including the CD recording Forgotten Dreams), and Les Violons du Roy of Quebec City, Bernard Labadie conducting. Of his numerous engagements with the National Arts Centre Orchestra as soloist, notable performances have included the Marcello Concerto under the baton of Roger Hamilton in 1994, the Vaughan-Williams Concerto with Joseph Silverstein in 1996 and J.S. Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin with Pinchas Zukerman in 1998, 2001, and 2002.  In 2004 he was soloist in the Mozart Oboe Concerto, again with Pinchas Zukerman conducting.  He will be featured in Richard Strauss’s Oboe Concerto with Maestro Zukerman and NACO in January 2008.