Dr. John Abberger

Biography

John Abberger is one of North America’s leading performers of historical oboes and serves as the principal oboist for Tafelmusik in Toronto and the American Bach Soloists in San Francisco. He has performed extensively across North America, Europe, and the Far East with various ensembles and is a regular feature with prominent period-instrument groups such as the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Washington Bach Consort, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Voltaire, the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, the Handel and Haydn Society, and Aston Magna. His specialization in the performance of the music of J. S. Bach has led to critically acclaimed recordings of reconstructed oboe concertos and orchestral suites for the ANALEKTA label. His contributions have been widely broadcasted across Canada and the United States. In particular, his recent recording of Bach's Orchestral Suites with original instrumentation was featured as “CD of the Month” in the September-October 2011 issue of the German music magazine Toccata-Alte Musik Akutell. Additionally, Mr. Abberger's recording of Alessandro Marcello's Oboe Concerto with Tafelmusik received high praise from Gramophone Magazine. He has appeared in numerous recordings under labels such as ANALEKTA, Sony Classical, Vivarte, Koch International, Harmonia Mundi, BMG Classics, Pro Arte, and Newport Classics. In 2007, he directed “The Bach Project” with the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, which focused on historically appropriate performing practices of J.S. Bach’s vocal and instrumental works. Mr. Abberger is also part of the faculty at the University of Toronto and the University of Western Ontario. Originally from Orlando, Florida, he received his training from the Juilliard School and Louisiana State University, and holds a Performer's Certificate in Early Music from New York University.

Research Interests