Thursday, April 07, 2005
The Final Great Oboe Swap
Judi had just bought a new oboe before she died. Well, at least she was close. Over the course of her teaching, she had several "great oboe swaps". The great oboe swap is like trickle down economics. When Judith Famous decided to buy a new oboe - something a worth a couple more hundred dollars than what she had. Something better. Most of them were Covey oboes. When she decided to get a new instrument, she always found someone to buy hers. That student sold their oboe to a younger student and so on, down to the plastic starter oboe. One time I heard of seven oboes switching hands in one swap. It was quite the undertaking, and Judi always organized the whole thing. When she died, there was a new (to her) oboe in the living room. I imagine she had played it a little, but she had not paid for it. Her oboe was sold to another.
Yesterday Tod talked with the person who sold mom her oboe and we basically ended up canceling the sale and sending the oboe back to the seller. She had another buyer.
It's sad to say there is no oboe in the famous family at this time - but hopefully one of the grandchildren may pick it up some day. If so, maybe the grandchild will be at the bottom of another oboe swap.
If you were ever part of an oboe swap, please add a comment. I'm interested to see how many oboes were exchanged over her lifetime. Thanks!
Yesterday Tod talked with the person who sold mom her oboe and we basically ended up canceling the sale and sending the oboe back to the seller. She had another buyer.
It's sad to say there is no oboe in the famous family at this time - but hopefully one of the grandchildren may pick it up some day. If so, maybe the grandchild will be at the bottom of another oboe swap.
If you were ever part of an oboe swap, please add a comment. I'm interested to see how many oboes were exchanged over her lifetime. Thanks!
4 Comments:
I wasn't part of an oboe swap, but I was pleased to find out that when I bought my first Covey oboe, #009, Judi already owned Covey #6. I thought that made us very special to have oboes made so close together. She soon surpassed me in the course of the great oboe swaps and had a much newer oboe at the end!
Barbara Bair
I remember seeing Covey #006 next to Covey #009. I wonder which Covey oboes Mom actually owned in her lifetime. We'll have to look through and papers and try to figure out some day.
I believe one of the oboists in my age group ended up with #006. It might have been Stephen Saucier.
I bought an oboe from one of Judi's students when I was in middle school. Trying to remember the girl's name and/or the number of the oboe. It was probably part of of a swap, but I didn't realize it at the time. There was often a "bigger picture" going on with Judi that I wasn't aware of. (Hmm, maybe I was zoning out during my lessons?)
I was part of 2 oboe swaps over the years with Judi. I do not remember much about the first swap but I know that the second swap I bought Wendy Richardson's oboe and sold my down the line to someone Judi had helped me make arrangements with. The oboe I bought, which I still have, is a Covey #003. I always appreciated how Judi helped us pass ours down and find one that was a bit more advanced for us. I did not realize however that there were so many people involved in each swap - she sure was a amzing at helping her students!