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Presented by HVMS
Elaine Douvas' Oboe Master Class opens with dinner at 6:00 p.m.. on Sunday May 31, 2026 and closes at 12:00 p.m. after a farewell brunch on Friday June 5, 2026.
Additional oboe faculty are Nicholas Stovall and Christopher Gaudi. The collaborative pianist is Luis Ortiz.
Hidden Valley's master classes are immersive, week-long learning intensives for advanced players. Master class participants enjoy not only opportunities for learning & advancement but create relationships within the musical community that can last a lifetime. It is a testament to our exceptional teaching faculty and the caliber of students that many Hidden Valley master class participants have gone on to hold important positions in major orchestras and universities around the world.
All master class students and teaching faculty live on campus during the master class and spend meals and free time together. All master class students are housed in our Waddell Center Residence Hall (double occupancy rooms). Facility and lodging information, pictures, and a campus map can all be found under the 'Visit Us' tab.
This session features:
- Solo performance coaching with piano accompaniment
- Orchestral excerpts/audition preparation
- Reed making workshop
- Recital by Elaine Douvas, Nick Stovall, and Christopher Gaudi
Elaine Douvas
Elaine Douvas is an institution in the oboe world, having served as Principal Oboist of the Metropolitan Opera from 1977-2024. She has trained oboists at Juilliard and The Mannes School of Music since 1982, and Bard College Conservatory since 2009, and is always trying to answer the question, "What constitutes a good, true education in music?" For 30 summers, she has been an Artist/Faculty member of the Aspen Music Festival and School. During the pandemic, she created the Hidden Valley Festival of Winds in Carmel Valley, CA, a side-by-side intensive for eighteen outstanding wind players, now in its sixth year. Douvas is one of the founders of Wind Orchestra at Juilliard, designed to give more opportunities and ensemble experience to wind players, and has conducted them annually for ten years. This year, she played guest principal with the Cleveland Orchestra, the National, Baltimore, and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras.
Ms. Douvas has played in hundreds of broadcasts, recordings, and concerts with the Met, including the Strauss Oboe Concerto in Carnegie Hall with James Levine conducting. Her CDs comprise a solo recital for Boston Records, "Pleasure is the Law" by her quartet of the same name, and "Oboe Divas" on the Oboe Classics label. Douvas trained at Cleveland Institute of Music and the Interlochen Arts Academy. Her first job was Principal Oboe of the Atlanta Symphony at the age of 21. For 25 of her adult years, she devoted her spare time to figure skating and passed eleven USFSA tests. Full Bio HERE
Nicholas Stovall has been principal oboe of the National Symphony Orchestra since September 2008 and has appeared as soloist with the NSO under the direction of conductors Gianandrea Noseda, Christoph Eschenbach, Helmut Rilling, and Ton Koopman. He has also performed as guest principal oboe with New York Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony. During the summer, Mr. Stovall is a faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Round Top Music Festival. He has taught and performed frequently at Indiana University and the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Mr. Stovall has been a faculty member at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, Bard College Conservatory of Music, and Catholic University of America. After completing studies at the Interlochen Arts Academy, he earned degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music and The Juilliard School as a student of John Mack, Elaine Douvas, and Nathan Hughes. Full Bio HERE
Christopher Gaudi enjoys an active career performing with orchestras in the United States and abroad, and has held positions including Principal Oboe of the San Diego Symphony, acting positions with the San Francisco Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Nashville and Pheonix Symphonies. He has also served as Intermin Professor of Oboe at Indiana University's Jacoobs School of Music. He holds both bachelor's and master's degrees from The Juilliard School, where he studied under Elaine Douavs and John Mack. Full Bio HERE
The collaborative pianist for the master class is Luis Ortiz. Ortiz is a graduate from the Juilliard School in Collaborative Piano and from Eastman School of Music in Piano Performance and English Literature. Now working at Juilliard as a Staff Pianist, happily playing sonatas and duos with all different kinds of instruments, specializing in cello, clarinet, oboe, violin, horn, and others.
All new participant applications should be supported by 2 letters of recommendation, please email letters of recommendation to info@hiddenvalleymusic.org. In some cases audition video or mp3 may be requested. All applications will be processed on receipt and after application fee is received. Applicants are accepted on a rolling basis and will be notified by email. To apply for the class click on Apply on the column to the right.
A non-refundable deposit payment of $300.00 is due upon acceptance. Balance is due 10 days before the opening date of class.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact (831) 659-3115 or email info@hiddenvalleymusic.org.
Tuesday June 2, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. Each master class includes a concert, open to the public, featuring the master teachers performing a wide array of repertoire highlighting their instrument. For those not in the master class, tickets to this performance may be purchased. Concert info & tickets.
In the recording below, Ms. Douvas plays the oboe solo in Richard Strauss' Oboe Concerto.