Colin Gatwood, oboe, was born in Cleveland, OH, but grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, where his father was principal oboist with the Pittsburgh Symphony and his mother, a violinist, was a free-lance musician and teacher. He began his musical studies on the piano at age 5, but by the time he was 9, he had begun taking oboe lessons from his father. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. His first orchestra job was with the Pittsburgh Symphony, playing second oboe for four years. From there, he went on to join the Guadalajara Symphony Orchestra in Mexico and then, in 1991, he won the position of second oboe in Houston.
