The British oboist Nigel Shore studied at the Royal Academy of Music London (with Celia Nicklin, oboe and Hamish Milne, piano) and the University of London, graduating with three 1st class honours diplomas in oboe, piano and musicology, and was also awarded the coveted Queen’s Commendation of Excellence as best student of the year. He then moved to Berlin and spent two formative years studying with Hansjörg Schellenberger and four further years playing with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Herbert von Karajan und Claudio Abbado before becoming principal oboe at the Komische Oper Berlin. For 22 years, he was also principal oboe of the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra, which specialised in early Classical repertoire under the direction of Hartmut Haenchen. Having spent several years living in Brazil, Nigel Shore is particularly interested in the music of Latin America, and in breaking down the boundaries between classical music and other styles. He has recorded Brazilian popular music for oboe for Costa Records (Clouds of Rain), as well as Mexican Boleros with Rolando Villazón (¡México!) and classically inspired songs with Tori Amos (Night of Hunters) for Deutsche Grammophon, both of which were awarded an Echo Klassik prize. His latest CD Phantasy with The Berlin Oboe Quartet, featuring British quartets for oboe and strings, has just been released on Costa Records.