Jeffrey Rathbun became Assistant Principal Oboe of The Cleveland Orchestra in 1990, and served as Principal Oboe from 2001-03. He was previously a member of the Atlanta, San Francisco, Oakland, and Honolulu symphony orchestras. In 1988, he won first prize at the Lucarelli International Competition for Solo Oboe Players, held at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall; his New York debut recital, in April 1990, was also at Weill.
A Buffet Artist, Jeffrey Rathbun was the only North American oboist invited to perform in the 190th Anniversary Concert for the renowned instrument manufacturing company Buffet Crampon in Paris in 2015. In demand as guest principal oboe, he has performed with the Boston Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Mr. Rathbun teaches at the Kent/Blossom Music Festival, and, since fall 2006, has served as lecturer in oboe at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory and as a faculty member of the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has been a visiting oboe professor at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Indiana University, and has led masterclasses at the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, and the New World Symphony, among other schools. He serves as a member of the executive committee of the International Double Reed Society.