Celia Craig

oboe/cor anglais

Born in England, Celia Craig studied oboe with Nicholas Daniel and George Caird as a Scholar at the Purcell School, reading music at the University of York and as an Exhibition holder at the Royal Academy of Music before winning first prize in the National Festival of Music for Youth at the South Bank, London. Her subsequent awards included competitions, financial scholarships and the East Midlands Arts ‘Sponsored Artist’ Scheme. She won a place in the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra under Bernstein and the European Community Youth Orchestra with Ashkenazy.

As an acclaimed orchestral player, holder of three principal orchestral positions since graduating, most recently Chairman and Principal Cor Anglais of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, she has toured, recorded and broadcast all over the globe, working closely with some of the best conductors and soloists in the world. Celia was principal oboe and concerto soloist for the London Chamber Players from 1989 to 1991. The Royal Academy of Music awarded her an Honorary Associateship for achievements in the profession in 1996.

Celia’s performances have always communicated to audiences, with critics describing her as “eloquent”, “wonderful” and “marvelous”. She was a judge for the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition on national television in 2006 and has made regular guest appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Moving with her husband, woodwind repairer, Richard Craig to his native Sydney in 2006, she was immediately invited to play for the Australia Ensemble, the Sydney Soloists and most of the Symphony Orchestras in Australia and New Zealand. Celia was elected President of the Australasian Double Reed Society in 2007 and teaches oboe at Sydney Grammar School.

Celia returns regularly to the UK to work, most recently for performances at the International Double Reed Society Conference (IDRS2009) where she was a featured artist, giving a world premiere in a shared recital with the Principal Oboe of the Metropolitan Opera and performing a duo recital with the world’s ‘greatest living organist’, Thomas Trotter.

Celia founded Sound Academy with Kirsten Williams in 2009.