Thank you to the Stalker family for sending us this wonderful video about oboe student Henry Stalker’s experience at the Center for Musical Arts!
Henry Stalker: Hi, my name is Henry Stalker and I play the oboe. I’ve been playing the oboe now for three years at the Center for Musical Arts. This year, I’m going to be playing for the [Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra] and I also play with my school band.
Henry’s Mom: Who’s your teacher?
Henry: My teacher at the Center for Musical Arts is Jennifer Stucki.
Mom: Awesome. Can you tell us a little bit about that really cool oboe that you have?
Henry: Yes. This oboe that I have was given to me from a really cool donor. Now, I am able to have an oboe that sounds amazing, and I can play to make it make beautiful music.
Mom: Excellent. I bet the donor and others at [Center for Musical Arts] would love to hear what you love about playing the oboe.
Henry: I just really like oboe because it’s really challenging, and I really like doing challenges and it’s also really instrumental.
Mom: Okay. And this next one, you’re going to play… how long have you been working on this one?
Henry: This one, I have been working on for a while. I would probably say I first started learning it about six months ago.
Mom: Yeah, very good. Okay. So let’s play a little. Let’s hear a little Cantabile.
Henry: Okay.
Mom: Thank you.
Henry: (plays)
Mom: Excellent. That was beautiful.
Henry: Thank you.
Mom: Thanks so much. Is there anything else you want to say to the folks that made it possible for you to have that oboe or other kids like you that might be interested in playing oboe?
Henry: Yes. Well, first of all, I just want to thank my oboe teacher, Jennifer Stucki, for teaching me how to play amazing like this, and I would also like to thank all the donors out there who make it possible for kids like me to play music again, to follow their dreams.
Mom: Yeah. What is your dream, Hen?
Henry: My dream is that hopefully I will become an oboe player one day.
Mom: Yeah, I think you’re on your way. So thanks so much for sharing that with us, sharing your music with us and big thank you to Kathy Kucsan [Education Director at the Center] too. Yes?
Henry: Yes.
Mom: All right.