He is a true artist with extraordinary musicality and a natural gift for expressive, lyrical playing.
- the late James DePriest,
Director of Conducting Studies, The Juilliard School
Former Music Director, Oregon Symphony Orchestra
Fred Korman's interpretations are always refreshingly interesting.
- the late John Mack
Principal oboist
The Cleveland Orchestra (retired)
Fred Korman incorporates his unique background and varied talents, along with his passion for people and performance, in his achievements as a nationally acclaimed leader of workshops on the "Psychology of Performance"; as a renowned oboist; and in his private counseling practice.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Korman maintains a private counseling practice in Portland where he sees adults in individual counseling. In addition, Mr. Korman presents master classes and workshops at major universities and music festivals around the United States for performers of all levels and mediums focusing on the psychology of performance. The uniqueness of his combined expertise allows him to provide a richness of experience both as a therapist and a musician.
Mr. Korman's training includes undergraduate work in psychology. He is currently a member of the Portland Gestalt Institute led by Dr. Jeffrey Sher, PhD, and Carol Swanson, LCSW. Among his most recent engagements are workshops at the University of Washington, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and the International Gestalt Therapy Seminar in Siena, Italy.
The Principal Oboist with the Oregon Symphony from 1978-2006, Mr. Korman is a frequent soloist in the Northwest. He has received critical praise for his "flawless playing", "tour-de-force" performances and "lyric flair". His performances of George Rochberg's Oboe Concerto with the Oregon Symphony drew robust approval from music critics who said: "Korman played passionately . . . his oboe rang clear and true" (The Columbian) and "He cleanly etched Rochberg's mournful and erratic themes . . . against the score's constantly shifting patterns" (The Oregonian). His playing in the critically acclaimed Oregon Symphony recording of Strauss' Don Juan was praised by the CD Review.
Before beginning his tenure with the Oregon Symphony, Mr. Korman held positions with the New Orleans and Hartford Symphony Orchestras. In addition to his recordings with the Oregon Symphony, Mr. Korman has recorded both classical and jazz on labels including Delos, Opus One, Koch, and a premier recording of the Wind Quartet by Gieseking on the Centaur label. He has participated as Principal Oboist in music festivals including Tanglewood, Chamber Music Northwest, Peter Britt, Centrum, Shenandoah Valley, Festival of the Amalfi Coast (Italy) and the Saint Barthelemey Music Festival (French West Indies). He is currently Principal Oboist with the Vancouver (WA) Symphony.
Aside from performing, Mr. Korman enjoys a successful teaching career, having held positions at the Hartt College of Music, Loyola University, University of New Orleans, Lewis and Clark College and Portland State University. He is currently on the faculty of Oregon State University in Corvallis. He has twice been a guest artist in the Northwest Oboe Seminar.