Principal Oboe
A native of the Philadelphia area, oboist Henry Ward joined the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra as Principal Oboe in 2016, having previously served as acting Associate Principal Oboe of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He has performed with the Philadelphia and Minnesota orchestras, the Boston Pops, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (New Zealand), and was a fellow with the New World Symphony. As a chamber musician, he has performed with the Marlboro Music Festival, Friends of Vienna, Buffalo Chamber Players, and toured with The Knights and Zéphyros Winds. He has performed as a soloist in orchestras around the United States and has been featured with the BPO on several occasions, most recently in Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major in 2021.
Henry has participated in the Lakes Area Music Festival and Oregon Bach Festival as Principal Oboe since 2016. He also received fellowships to the Music Academy of the West and Tanglewood Music Center, where he received the Mickey L. Hooten Memorial Award. He earned his bachelor's degree from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Boston Symphony oboists Mark McEwen and John Ferrillo, followed by a master’s degree, studying with Eugene Izotov and Scott Hostetler at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University.
Henry also teaches privately, and has given masterclasses around western New York, the U.S., and internationally.