Strobe was born in a carpool, conceived by a love for the oboe. During commutes from San Francisco to Berkeley to play Swan Lake, Laura and Kris began talking about oboes—Laura plays it and Kris loves it because the oboe was her father’s instrument. They discussed favorite oboe repertoire and chamber music, along with concert ideas. Stephanie and Caroline signed on, and Strobe was created. The chamber repertoire for oboe and strings is tiny. Only 2 pieces have made it into the major repertoire stream: Mozart’s Oboe Quartet, written in 1781, and 151 years later, Benjamin Britten’s Phantasy Quartet, written in 1932. We are long overdue for music written specifically for oboe and strings. Our mission is to increase the repertoire for this combination.
