Nora Cismondi
oboe

Born in 1978 in Valence, France, Nora Cismondi studied the oboe with Cesar Onibene, and was winning prizes at international competitions in Brussels and Verona at the age of 11. She attended the National Conservatory of Lyon when she was fifteen, then entered the Conservatoire Nationale Superieur de Musique in Paris in 1994. There she studied with J. Tys, J.L. Capezzali and M. Bourgue with whom she did post-graduate work after receiving first prizes in Oboe and Chamber Music. During her time at the Conservatory, she was offered the opportunity to be part of the European Youth Orchestra (1994-1996) where she had her first orchestral experience under the baton of such illustrious conductors as Bernard Haitink, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Mstislav Rostropovitch.

Ms. Cismondi’s talent earned her an appointment as the first oboe soloist at the National Paris Opera in 1998. She held this position until 2005 when she was appointed principal oboist in the Orchestre National de France under the directorship of world-renowned conductor Kurt Masur. She has been invited to perform as guest first oboist with famous orchestras, including the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Münchner Philharmonie, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Bayerische Rundfunk.

Ms. Cismondi has received top prizes at prestigious international oboe competitions, including the Prague Spring Festival in 2001, the International Oboe Competition in Toulon in 2002, and the ARD (German Radio) Competition in 2003.