Philippe Tondre

Principal oboe of The Philadelphia Orchestra, appointed by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Philippe Tondre is also a member of the Mito Chamber Orchestra and the Saito Kinen Orchestra with Seiji Ozawa. Born in Mulhouse, France, Mr. Tondre studied with Yves Cautrès before joining David Walter’s class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He finished his studies with Maurice Bourgue and followed the teaching of masters such as Heinz Holliger, Nathalie Stutzmann, Jacques Tys, Jean-Louis Capezzali, and Dominik Wollenweber. At the age of 18, he was appointed principal oboe of the SWR Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 2021. He was solo oboe of the Budapest Festival Orchestra (2014–20) and Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig (2016–17) and was a guest oboist with leading orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Zurich Opera.

Mr. Tondre has appeared as a soloist with prestigious ensembles such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Geneva, l’Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, the Osaka Philharmonic, and the Moscow Soloists. He made his debut as a soloist in the Berlin Philharmonie in 2013, accompanied by the Deutsche Sinfonie Orchester.

Mr. Tondre is prizewinner of many major international competitions, including the 60th ARD Music Competition in Munich (second prize, audience prize, IFP special prize, and special prize for interpretation of the commissioned composition), the 65th Geneva International Music Competition (third prize), the 9th Sony Music Foundation’s International Oboe Competition Japan (second prize), the Fernand Gillet-Hugo Fox Oboe Competition USA (first prize), and the 63rd Prague Spring International Music Competition (third prize and Gustav Mahler prize). In 2012 he received the Beethoven Ring, a musical honor given by the Beethoven Fest in Bonn, joining a prestigious list of previous recipients including Lisa Batiashvili and Gustavo Dudamel. He was also invited to appear in the ARTE television program Stars of Tomorrow hosted by Rolando Villazon.

In 2021 he joined the research and development team for Buffet Crampon Paris and has played an active part in the creation of the brand’s latest model “Légende.” In June 2022 he will make his debut as a soloist at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.

Mr. Tondre also teaches at the Hochschule für Musik Saar in Germany and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. He has recorded for BR Klassik, France Musique, SWR Classic, and Klarthe France.

Mr. Tondre joined the Curtis faculty in 2022.