Mary Gilbert
Oboe
I started the oboe at the age of 10 due to there being no more clarinets left in the school cupboard! During my teenage years, my biggest musical inspiration was the oboist and one-time conductor of Manchester Camerata, Douglas Boyd, don’t tell him though!
I was a member of Northern Ballet Sinfonia for 25 years and have been a member of Camerata since 1999/2000. Being very passionate about musicians working conditions, I am now very involved with the musicians union and sit on their executive committee which meets every month.
The part of being a member of Camerata I love the most is playing with my wonderful principal, Rachael Clegg. We are great friends and make a good team, I think. We also like to indulge in a bit of subtle oboe dancing (not always that subtle) during concerts to keep it fun!
When I am not playing, I run a small oboe reed-making business, which allows me to work from home and walk my beautiful retired greyhounds. As all my friends and colleagues know, I am greyhound obsessed!
My biggest claim to fame is that I met Leonard Bernstein when I was 16 years old!
