"An interesting disc offering so many differing styles of music that my imagination began to run riot...[Caplan employs a] very comfortable approach to this diverse range of music, his complete command of the instrument providing the many diverse techniques and colors...the sound quality is crisp and well-balanced" Fanfare, July/August 2000

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Acclaimed performances in Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and throughout the U.S. and Europe have established Stephen Caplan as a first-rate oboist. He is principal oboist with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Las Vegas Pops in addition to accompanying popular superstars on the Las Vegas Strip. A faculty member of the University of Nevada, he is also director of the Sierra Winds. He has twice been awarded Performance Artist Fellowships by the Nevada Arts Council. 

This delightful new CD presents Stephen Caplan in a variety of styles and backdrops. Explaining his title A Tree in Your Ear, the oboist comments: “Composers use their eyes for hearing. Listen to their music and begin to see with your ears. A Tree in Your Ear celebrates landscapes. Landscapes remembered by sounds (the frogs, crickets and coyotes of Half Moon at Checkerboard Mesa), landscapes heard in songs (the folk music orchestrated by William Grant Still in Miniatures), landscapes felt (Koke No Niwa and Saltwater Blues), and landscapes imagined (Orpheus Singing and Sonic Landscapes). These landscapes are as distinct as the musical styles that evoke them. This is “art music,” yet each selection ignores boundaries, borrowing liberally from either popular or folk musical idioms. The oboe, a musical instrument made from the mpingo tree, is best known in its symphonie role. But some composers have envisioned the oboe howling with coyotes, rappin’ with Diz and Bird, or singing the blues. I hope you enjoy seeing with your ears.”

Go to Stephan Caplan's web site for more information.