About Vincent?

Vincent Gay-Balmaz, Oboist with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) and Professor at HEMU.

I fell in love with the oboe at the age of 12, and 52 years later, the magic is still very much alive. My passion for this truly unique instrument has never faded, nurtured and inspired throughout my journey by a succession of exceptional teachers: Jean-Paul Goy, Bernard Schenkel, and finally the great Heinz Holliger, who guided me through the final stages of my studies.

My Journey:

There are few professions that allow you to spend your entire career working for the same institution, and even fewer in which you can do so with such joy and fulfilment. I feel immense gratitude towards the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR), which gave me the opportunity to make a living from my art and passion for 39 wonderful years.

Alongside this, my appointment in 1987 at the Lausanne Conservatory (now HEMU) gave me the privilege of working with and teaching some truly outstanding young musicians.

It is the richness of these encounters, together with the experience gained over all these decades, that inspired me to create this training programme. The mechanical understanding of the oboe is often the great forgotten element of traditional musical education. Yet if your instrument also has a habit of playing tricks on you when you least expect it, you’ll soon discover that we have a lot in common!

My Journey at a Glance

1972: Discovered the oboe

1978: Obtained the ENM teaching diploma

1978–1983: Studied under the renowned oboist Heinz Holliger

1984: Joined the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR)

1987: Appointed to the Lausanne Conservatory (HEMU)

2023: Launched hautboisfute.ch

Chère autonomie…

As a child, I often found myself stuck when a technical problem arose with my oboe. Every time, I faced the same dilemma: patiently wait until my next lesson for my teacher to come to the rescue, or rush to the nearest music shop and hope that someone there had at least some knowledge of instrument repairs.

Over time, having to deal with these unexpected problems sparked an overwhelming desire to understand the inner workings of this wonderfully fascinating yet sometimes temperamental instrument. To be completely honest, as a self-taught enthusiast, I made plenty of mistakes in the early days! But those very mistakes turned out to be my greatest teachers. Little by little, I developed an expertise that has stayed with me throughout my career as an orchestral musician and teacher. My curiosity about these complex mechanisms has helped me out of some truly critical situations. By carefully observing how the keys interact and understanding the logic behind prioritising adjustments, I eventually tamed the beast and discovered the wonderful gift of independence.

An essential skill for every oboist

Now it’s your turn to give yourself that same gift. My workshops are designed to help you uncover the secrets of your oboe safely, without risking damage to your instrument. You’ll learn how to pinpoint the exact source of a problem and identify the right adjustment, rather than randomly fiddling with everything and potentially making matters worse. For an oboist, technical independence is much like a spare tyre for a motorist: the reassurance of being able to keep going when something goes wrong. We all experience our fair share of mechanical punctures! Knowing how to deal with them using the right tools, precise techniques and a calm mind brings enormous peace of mind. But these skills have to be learned.

⚙️ Understanding oboe mechanics with a playful technique!

To make the mechanics of the oboe accessible and tangible, we leave abstract theory behind. During the workshops, I use large-scale mechanical models built especially for the training.

These intriguing and playful visual aids faithfully reproduce the movements of rocker arms, levers and the intricate engineering of the instrument. By handling these oversized models, you can immediately see how the different mechanical components interact. You then learn to apply the same principles and techniques to your own oboe, developing the skills to solve the most common mechanical problems yourself — all in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere shared with fellow enthusiasts.

Come and take the first step towards greater independence!

I look forward to meeting you!