Jack Cozen Harel joined the roster of Yamaha Performing Artists in 2008. Active as a soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Harel has been recognized with numerous awards including Best Classical Soloist by DownBeat Magazine, winner of the Baroness Léni Fé Bland Competition, winner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, and the Guinness World Record for "Fastest Oboe Playing".
Mr. Harel serves on the faculty of the University of Akron and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He began his professional career at age 18 as Principal Oboist of the San Francisco Sinfonietta. He has also performed with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and is the oboe teaching artist for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mr. Harel is the oboist of the world-renowned Solaris Quintet and holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Northwestern University, and the Colburn School. His teachers include John de Lancie, James Moore, William Bennett, Grover Schiltz, and Allan Vogel.
