Toronto-based award-winning oboist Ari Cohen Mann is a versatile artist who balances a thriving career as a soloist, recitalist, orchestral musician, educator, and online creator. Recent highlights include a performance of Clémence de Grandval’s Oboe Concerto in D minor with the PEI Symphony Orchestra, aptly, under the concert title, Influencers.
Passionate and entrepreneurial, Cohen Mann maintains an engaging online presence, where their YouTube channel explores the various facets of the oboe and offers a glimpse into their life as a contemporary classical musician.
In addition to frequent performances with major orchestras, they serve on the music faculty of Wilfrid Laurier University, adjudicate festivals, and contribute to the International Double Reed Society (IDRS).
Their debut solo album, VORTEX, releasing November 14 on Orchid Classics, showcases their artistry through the music of contemporary composers.
I had a chance to chat with the busy Cohen Mann about the album.
Ari Cohen Mann: The Interview
“It’s truly a passion project. It’s hard to even explain the scope of it,” Cohen Mann begins.
“It’s been my obsession for definitely the last year and a half, but spanning back five years.”
It was when Cohen Mann was placed on CBC’s Hot 30 Under 30 classical musicians list that they began to think about the broader trajectory of their career and the impact of their music making.
Any album, let alone a debut, is a large undertaking, but Cohen Mann is undaunted. “I am very detail-oriented. As an oboist, I think you have to be.”
From making their reeds, to the title design, to the mastering of the edits, everything is done with intention. “Someone has spent a lot of time thinking about the exact amount of time after one song ends and the next song begins, or in this case, a movement or a different piece.”
Ari Cohen Mann performs an excerpt from Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, the first single from the album, with pianist Ben Smith:
VORTEX, A Concept
The seed of the album was the title piece, VORTEX, by Kevin Day, a commission by Cohen Mann, from which they built a concept and a message.
“I wanted to present a full exploration of the scope of human emotion, and specifically honing in on vulnerability and authenticity, which are both very important for me.”
“I like to think of the album itself as a vortex. You’re first drawn in with this amazing Stravinsky work, Pulcinella,” which Cohen Mann arranged with Cornelia Sommer.
Following the Stravinsky is Jennifer Higdon’s Aria, a contemplative piece for oboe and piano, drawn from her tragic opera, Cold Mountain.
Canadian composers are well represented on this album.
Rodney Sharman‘s Famous Last Words, adapted through a commission for this album, is a poignant meditation on life and death.
The album also features the first commercial recording of Jean Coulthard’s The Enchanted Island. “It’s wild to me that it’s never been recorded. Recording is how so much repertoire survives.”
It is clear that this album is deeply personal as it pays homage to important and influential people in Cohen Mann’s formative years.
Christopher Tyler Nickel’s English Horn Sonata, written for the late oboist Beth Orson, holds special significance. Orson was Cohen Mann’s teacher, mentor, and friend. “This recording is dedicated to her memory.”
The final track is Verdigris, by the late Jocelyn Morlock. “She adapted it for us (Cohen Mann and guitarist Alexander Flock) to play in 2010. I was thinking about her a lot in this process.”
Final Thoughts
The album has been carefully curated to capture the full expressive range of the oboe and English horn. Balancing ferocity with intimacy, it mirrors the emotional breadth of the artist behind it.
The album officially launches on November 14, followed by a release concert on November 19 at the University Club of Toronto, featuring selections from the album and the world premiere of a new commissioned work by Liam Ritz.
“After that, I also have a recital in St. Catharines in December, and I’m also doing a little mini-tour in Michigan in January, to help promote the album.”
In closing, they add, “My idea was to go a little bit deeper with this album and really explore music that moves, shapes, and connects us.”
- Preorder the album [HERE].
- Find details about the University Club of Toronto on November 19 performance [HERE].
By Albert Wong for Ludwig Van.
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