Ralf Ebner is one of the most unique oboists of our time. His artistic commitments range from recordings for Deutsche Grammophon and concert tours with the Berlin Philharmonic Virtuosi, to innovations in instrument making, and musical youth work.

Ralf served as principal oboe for the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Camerata Academia Salzburg, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and played under the baton of Leonard Bernstein, Sir George Solti, Daniel Barenboim, Sándor Végh, Sergiu Celibidache, and Pierre Boulez.

A winner of the Felix Mottl Competition 1993, Ralf has fond memories of his Proms performance of Mozart at Royal Albert Hall as well as of concerts at the Vienna Musikverein, at the Pacific Music Festival, and at the Salzburg Festival. He contributed to recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, Arthouse Music, and EMI. Ralf was trained by legendary oboist Günther Passin at the University of Music and Theatre Munich, where he would later teach as an assistant professor himself. Moreover, Ralf has held a visiting professorship at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and gives regular masterclasses for young artists and scholars at the German Academic Scholarship Foundation.

Driven by his passion for discovering new sounds, Ralf joined forces with two renowned German instrument makers to enhance the design of oboes and oboe reeds. The resulting instruments are up to three times more durable than conventional oboes and help to make oboe-playing more sustainable. Ralf never forgot that, when he met Leonard Bernstein at age nineteen, he was just as impressed by Bernstein’s musical genius as by his efforts to further social change through music. Inspired by this encounter, Ralf also started working with children and young people and has been engaged in educational projects, alongside his artistic career, for more than 22 years.