Barbara Warren

(Oboist)

Ms. Warren grew up in the Hudson Valley, surrounded by music. She couldn’t wait to start violin lessons, which, at that point, she believed was the best instrument of all. From 4th through 12th grades, she had lessons and never had to be told to practice. Making music on the violin was the best thing life had to offer! After high school, Ms. Warren dabbled on the viola, as her community’s choral groups were lacking violas and overbalanced with violins. This was quite a let-down; viola was not nearly as fun as violin, but on the other hand, she always got to play.

At about this time, Ms.... Warren realized that the oboe players she had known all these years were “fading away,” either off to a distant college or just seemed to have lost interest. When her community’s woodwind group would perform, the oboe player would show up with an alto recorder, with the excuse that she had no reeds. The final straw was when her community rehearsed one of Bach’s cantatas with a beautiful oboe solo; the oboe part was transposed for a clarinet player. Being a musical purist, Ms. Warren couldn’t continue to let this happen! She was determined to play the oboe! Ms. Warren asked her friend, who also played oboe, to show her how to play. Not long after that, their first performance together was Amahl and the Night Visitors , for which Ms. Warren played 2nd oboe.  

However, there was one piece that totally won Ms. Warren over and convinced her that her double-reed instrument was her new music passion. This piece was the oboe and bassoon solo for “Tiny Baby” in The Universe Sings, a cantata written in the Bruderhof community. Ms. Warren, in her pursuit to master the oboe, progressed to having lessons with Kathy Karlson at SUNY New Paltz, Leonard Zimet in Woodstock, and Joel Evans in Newburgh. More recently, Ms. Warren also joined a flute and viola duet in Fox Hill, growing this group into a trio; shortly after, a cellist joined the trio to create a quartet. She has also taught several children in the Bruderhof Communities. Specializing in oboe and English horn has expanded her performance opportunities, including playing with the New York Wind Symphony in 2021 and with the Wallkill Senior High School pit band for Cinderella in 2022.

Ms. Warren always fancied herself as a strictly baroque and classical oboist, so when she was approached by the Maybrook Wind Ensemble (MWE), she was not sure it would be a good fit.         Ms. Warren quickly found that she loved this whole new genre! What had she been missing all these years? While she will still play Bach by the hour, she will buckle down and practice hard on Joplin Rags and other more contemporary music. Better yet is when the music director can find some piece that features the English horn.

Just when Ms. Warren thought her music career was at its best, she was invited to join Hudson Valley Enchanted Winds, a quartet of members .the Maybrook Wind Ensemble. This group allows her the best of both worlds--to play classical favorites as well as to explore jazz and more modern compositions.