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Oboist Andrew "Andy" Nogal gave us the scoop on his involvement with the ESO and how he got started...

When did you join the Elmhurst Symphony?

I’ve played with ESO since 2008.

What instrument do you play and how did you get started playing?

I play the oboe and English horn. When I was in 5th grade, I wanted to join my school’s beginning band. Our band director encouraged me to play the oboe. It’s a finicky instrument with a steep learning curve, so I guess he thought I was up to the challenge! 

What piece is on your "Bucket List" and why?

I’m excited to play Debussy’s Ibéria with ESO in May of 2024. Debussy’s orchestral music had a special and lasting influence on me when I was younger, and I’ve never had an opportunity to play this piece before. 

Biography

Oboist Andrew Nogal is an acclaimed orchestral performer, chamber musician, and interpreter of contemporary music. A longtime member of Chicago’s Ensemble Dal Niente, he has also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, CSO MusicNOW Ensemble, Talea Ensemble, Nunc, Zohn Collective, and Alarm Will Sound. His festival appearances include Cabrillo, Ojai, Astoria, Peninsula, Great Lakes Chamber Music, June in Buffalo, Ravinia, Ear Taxi, LA Phil Noon to Midnight, Philadelphia Orchestra Barnes-Stokowski, and the NY Phil Biennial.

His recent international engagements include concerts in Beijing, Nanning, Tokyo, Sydney, Auckland, and Vancouver, BC. For three summers, he performed under the direction of Pierre Boulez at the Lucerne Festival Academy. Nogal was awarded first prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition 2011 and received the Kranichstein Music Prize at the Darmstadt International Summer Courses for New Music 2012.

Away from music, his interests include 19th-century and contemporary literature, dogs, train travel, and coffee.