Felix Kraus (1930–2006) studied oboe with Marcel Tabuteau from 1950 to 1952 before enlisting in the United State Army Band, where he played English horn for eight years. He was principal oboist of the Portland (Oregon) and National Symphonies, then joined the Cleveland Orchestra where he remained for 41 years. First engaged by George Szell as 2nd oboe in 1963 and then by Loren Maazel as English horn in 1979, he distinguished himself as one of the premier English horn players in the country, retiring in 2004. During those two years at Curtis with Marcel Tabuteau, he absorbed his teacher’s concepts, relaying them to Melissa Stevens in her interview with him in 1998:
The following is an extract from Melissa A. Stevens’ 1999 dissertation Marcel Tabuteau: Pedagogical Concepts and Practices for Teaching Musical Expressiveness: An Oral History.
