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Congratulations Oliver Talukder, winner of Cedille’s 2025 Emerging Artist Competition!
Chicago area-raised oboist Oliver Talukder‘s musical journey began at age 10. His musical prowess has been honed through years of dedication. Oliver currently serves as the Second Oboist in the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra. He has collaborated with ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony in C.
A product of Chicago’s vibrant music scene, Oliver’s musical foundation was laid during his time in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO), People’s Music School, and Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI). At CYSO, he immersed himself in the main orchestra and many supplementary programs, including Chamber Music, the Ambassadors Program, the Chamber Orchestra, and the Social Media Team. With CYSO, he went on a memorable tour of the Baltics, where he played in Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, and St. Petersburg and was a member of the ensemble for the Cedille Records album Winged Creatures, featuring CYSO alumni Anthony and Demarre McGill as soloists.
In summer 2019, Oliver was selected as a member of Carnegie Hall’s prestigious National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYOUSA). Oliver has received accolades such as the First Prize in the 2022 Midwest Double Reed Society Competition and Outstanding Instrumentalist in the 2024 Sphinx Orchestral Partners Audition Competition.
Oliver will work with Cedille to record his debut album and appear as a featured performer at our Soirée Cedille gala in September. Congratulations Oliver!
Learn more about Oliver through the video interview and transcription below.
How were you introduced to music?
Growing up, I was always surrounded by music. Thankfully, my older brothers (hello Ricky and Nicky, shout-out!), they were in school band. So, since the age of four, I was going to their school orchestra concerts, their school band concerts and listening to all the instruments.
Why did you choose the oboe as your primary instrument?
I actually used to hate the oboe because I hated the way it sounded in my brothers’ bands! But, as I grew a little older, as my oldest brother got a little better, he joined the Youth Orchestra and I saw one of his concerts. They played Scheherazade Rimsky-Korsakov and I absolutely fell in love with the sound of the oboe.
Tell us about the concept of your album.
My dream album is an homage to Chicago, and kind of telling my parents’ love story. My parents are immigrants to the US, my mom is from Mexico and my dad is from Bangladesh, and they met each other in Chicago and that’s where they decided to have their family. That’s why I love Chicago so much. Highlighting Mexican composers, South Asian composers, composers based in Chicago, along with any pieces that inspire love.
How will this recording affect your career as an emerging artist?
My hopes in recording an album with Cedille Records would be to establish myself as a unique voice in this music industry and also, again, just to tell my story about growing up in Chicago and how that’s changed my life.
Recommended
Winner of Cedille Records’ 2025 Emerging Artist Competition, Chicago-born oboist Oliver Talukder makes his solo recording debut with Briefly Gorgeous. Joined by pianist Moriah Trenk, Talukder presents an album inspired by themes of identity, love, family, and belonging. Drawing on his Mexican and Bengali heritage and his Chicago upbringing, the program explores where classical music intersects with Latino and South Asian traditions, creating a musical portrait shaped by Talukder’s unique story.
Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh’s 16th album on Cedille Records, The American Concerto, Volume One, features Vijay Iyer’s Trouble and the world premiere recording of Courtney Bryan‘s Syzygy, performed with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble conducted by Tim Weiss.
With the new month comes a new featured playlist on Spotify — or, in this case, a refresh of our Artist Debuts on Cedille playlist, originally created in 2022 to celebrate the inaugural album by the first Emerging Artist Competition winner, saxophonist Julian Velasco.
The update is to celebrate oboist Oliver Talukder, winner of Cedille’s second competition, as well as other artists who have made their Cedille debus since 2022. (Oliver’s track will be added on Friday when his album, Briefly Gorgeous, is released.)
Enjoy Cedille’s Weekly Featured Release.