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Oliver Talukder discusses the making of his debut album
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 own story.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music currently pursuing graduate studies at The Juilliard School, Talukder performs on oboe, English horn, flute, and piccolo, bringing exceptional versatility to imaginative programming, original arrangements, and the music of diverse composers. Taking its title from Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, the album brings together works by Jeffrey Agrell, Marina Dranishnikova, Alyssa Morris, Florence Price, Reena Esmail, and Arturo Márquez that mirror Talukder’s own artistic journey, revealing a musical voice shaped as much by experience as by technical virtuosity.
Talukder contributes two original arrangements that broaden the repertoire for the woodwind family. The five songs by Florence Price feature Talukder alternating between oboe and English horn, bringing new colors to the composer’s vocal writing, while Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 showcases his command of flute and piccolo (as well as oboe and English horn). Esmail’s Jhula Jhule offers a poignant exploration of heritage and memory, weaving together Indian folk melodies passed down through the composer’s family and reflecting her journey between Indian and Western musical traditions.
Download and stream Briefly Gorgeous today.
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