Marcel Tabuteau First-Hand

MT era oboe

Norman Carol

Norman Carol (b. 1928) was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 13 where he studied violin with Efrem Zimbalist Sr., graduating in 1947. Two years later, he gave a successful Town Hall debut at 20 years old, embarking on a solo career. He then joined the Boston Symphony before being drafted in the US army. Following a two-year stint, he became concertmaster of the New Orleans and Minneapolis Symphonies before joining the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1965 as concertmaster where he served for 28 years. During his years at Curtis, he attended Tabuteau’s string classes which left an indelible mark on his approach to music. In a 1997 interview with Sarah Wetherbee, he talked about the Tabuteau System.

The following are excerpts from Sarah Maude Wetherbee’s 2002 dissertation Marcel Tabuteau’s Influence on String Playing at the Curtis Institute of Music: a Philosophy of Twentieth-Century Performance Practice.

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An audio interview with Joan Browne (Champie), a private Tabuteau student in the early 1950s.

A photograph of the music stand that was in Tabuteau’s private studio in Philadelphia.

An autographed photo of Marcel Tabuteau inscribed to Vladimir Sokoloff.

An autographed photo of Marcel Tabuteau inscribed to Joan Browne Champie.

With the passing of Wilbur Isaac Hilles in August 2023 and now Martha Scherer-Alfee in February 2024, no oboe students of Marcel Tabuteau at the Curtis Institute are still living.

A letter sent to the Curtis Institute by Laila Storch’s mother about Tabuteau not teaching at Curtis—and the reply.