Alex Klein

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Alex Klein (born 1964, Porto Alegre) is an oboist who began his musical studies in his native Brazil at the age of nine, and made his solo orchestral debut the following year. At the age of eleven he was invited to join the Camerata Antigua, one of Brazil's foremost chamber ensembles. During his teenage years he toured and performed as a soloist, recitalist and as a member of several professional orchestras in Brazil. He then studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with James Caldwell, earning a BM and an artist diploma in music performance.

After a year at Oberlin he won first prize in the first Lucarelli International Competition for Solo Oboe Players\ held in Carnegie Hall. He has received many awards worldwide including at the 1988 International Competition for Musical Performers in Geneva, Switzerland. There he was the first oboist to be awarded first prize since Heinz Holliger 29 years earlier.

He joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as principal oboe at age 30 in 1995. He has performed as soloist with the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Chicago Sinfonietta. He has recorded for Teldec, Boston Records, Newport Classics, Musical Heritage Society and Cedille Records.

Klein won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental soloist with Orchestra for his recording of Strauss Oboe Concerto with Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony.

Klein left the Chicago Symphony in July 2004 due to musician's focal dystonia which had begun within two years of his assuming the first chair.[1]

He currently performs as soloist and conductor, at the same time serving as a "Professor of Oboe" at his alma mater, the Oberlin Conservatory.