Chris Vettraino
Grand Finalist of the 2024 BBC Radio Scotland Young Classical Musician Competition, where he performed Martinu Oboe Concerto with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Chris Vettraino is an award-winning soloist and chamber musician, as well as an accomplished orchestral musician.
Chris has appeared as Principal Oboe with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC SSO, and has played with other major orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philharmonia, London Sinfonietta, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Whilst studying for a Masters at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, he won a contract with the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln for their 2024/25 season, working full-time until he returned to the UK. He was also a member of the LPO’s Foyle Future Firsts programme for the 2022/23 season. He has appeared as a Concerto soloist across the UK, including performing the Mozart Oboe Concerto with the London Mozart Players.
Chris began learning the oboe in Glasgow with Stephen West, having lessons at Netherlee Primary school before studying at the Junior Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. As a teenager, he played with the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland and of Great Britain, and won prizes at both the JRCS and the Glasgow Music Festival. He did his undergraduate studies with Chris Cowie and Sue Bohling at the Royal Academy of Music, graduating with first class honours in 2022. He also did his postgraduate at RAM, with Tom Blomfield, Ian Hardwick, and Sue Bohling, graduating with distinction in 2023. He then went on to study in Cologne with Christian Wetzel, concluding his studies in 2025.