Jane Marvine, English Horn

photo by Christian Colberg

Listen to Jane's interview with Judith Krummeck

Chamber Music Performances:

October 28, 2012
January 27, 2013
April 7, 2013

In my free time, I like to.... I don't have much free time these days. When I do-I love to garden. We have a big yard and designing and planting flower beds and shrubs is a passion.  I can get lost for hours in a good garden book, dreaming of growing things. On a day off, with good weather I can easily spend 6 or 8 hours, weeding, digging, planting, triming, raking etc.

If I hadn't become an oboist, I might have become.....  I never thought I would play in an orchestra. I didn't have the technique that was required. I loved composing music. However, when an opening came up in the Baltimore Symphony I thought, "why don't I give it a try."  For the first time in my life, after I had been out of school for two years, I discovered how to practice. I really practiced for the first time with the kind of diligence that it takes to win an audition.  I was lucky. I won the second oboe position in 1978. Playing second oboe was very rewarding and led to the position of English Hornist in 2000. I had to audition for that one too. I had only been in the orchestra for one year when I was captivated by the work of the elected Players' committee. I began to serve on our Players' committee in 1980 and this has turned into a life long commitment.  This non musical work has taught me so many things about life and about myself.

If I weren't a musician I might consider work related to law or politics. I find that the passion I have for music makes it easy to be passionate about the Baltimore Symphony as an organization and the importance of the arts in our society.

In my car, you'll most likely find me listening to....  Talk radio, WYPR, is my first choice.  If my sixteen year old daughter is with me than we usually have her favorite pop/rock group blasting.  Otherwise, at the moment, my three favorite CDs are Leon Fleischer, two hands, John Lennon, acoustic, and Diana Krall, Christmas.

I listen to jazz music when I unwind. 

Since improvisation is beyond my capabilities I find that I can listen for fun.

The ring tone on my cell phone is....  some kind of cool jazz that creeps up on you, instead of blasting away from the start.

My most embarrassing moment onstage was....  When I was  being considered by Maestro Temirkanov for the position of English Horn, we were playing Ravel's Mother Goose Suite. When my solo came I looked at the Maestro and was ready to sing my heart out. I looked back at my music and skipped a line. The first note I played was the wrong note. I was so startled by that I was completely disoriented and didn't play anything. Several bars went by before I could figure out where we were. I did join in eventually. Needless to say, I had to do a lot to redeem myself after that.  Fortunately, Maestro Temirkanov was able to accept that people can make mistakes and after an extended probationary period, he offered me the job.

The last book I read was.... some sort of self help book on diet or exercise.

Most people would be surprised to find out that I ...take tap and jazz dance classes and have performed in five recitals.