Elizabeth Starr
The Inside Story: Elizabeth Masoudnia and ENGLISH HORN EXPRESSIONS
Who was your first favorite artist(s) growing up?
Louis Rosenblatt, my predecessor in the Philadelphia Orchestra, was the premiere English horn player of his time, my oboe teacher for 6 years, a wonderful person and a true intellectual, as well. I was lucky enough to hear him play live many times in the Academy of Music and still listen to his many outstanding recordings with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?
I realized that I wanted to be a professional oboist the first time I played the oboe, at age 8!
What was your most unusual performance, or the most embarrassing thing that happened to you during a performance?
I have played the English horn solo of Dvorak’s New World Symphony many times, including three times on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s recent 2023 Florida tour. But the most unusual time was when I played the solo in the basement of a scotch (the liquor) factory with the accompaniment of an Erhu (a Chinese stringed instrument) in Beijing!
What is your guilty pleasure?
Tap-dancing!
What does this album mean to you personally?
With this album, I am thrilled to be able to spotlight my favorite instrument, the English horn, and the wide variety of composers who wrote such challenging and beautiful pieces for the instrument.
Is there a specific feeling that you would like communicated to audiences in this work?
Passion!