About Joseph Shalita — Principal Oboist & Master Reed Maker

 Joseph Shalita is the owner of Shalita Oboe Reeds and one of the most experienced American oboe reed makers currently working. He has served as Principal Oboist of the State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra since 2004 — a position he has held for over 35 years — and was Principal Oboist of the Minería Summer Festival Orchestra in Mexico City  from 2016 – 2020.

Shalita’s artistic lineage traces directly to Marcel Tabuteau, the father of the American oboe school: Tabuteau trained John de Lancie, de Lancie trained John Ferrillo (Principal Oboe, Boston Symphony Orchestra), and Ferrillo trained Joseph Shalita. This places Shalita in a direct line of the Philadelphia oboe tradition — the most influential reed-making tradition in American orchestral music.

A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the Mannes College of Music, Shalita studied with Joseph Turner (Principal Oboe, Baltimore Symphony) and John Ferrillo (Co-Principal, Metropolitan Opera; Principal Oboe, Boston Symphony Orchestra).

For 24 years, Shalita was the oboist of the Mexico City Woodwind Quintet, the leading wind chamber music ensemble in Mexico. The group recorded 4 compact discs of commissioned works and toured the USA, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and France through grants from the Mexican National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA). He has been involved in approximately 30 world premieres of new works for wind quintet.

Shalita handcrafts all Shalita Oboe Reeds using the American long-scrape method — the dominant style in US orchestras and conservatories. His reeds are built for professional resonance, intonation stability, and response across the full dynamic range. The product line runs from the Black Label Pro ($32.95) for advanced players to the WR Profiled Beginner reed ($9.95) for students.

He is also the creator of the online course at makingoboereeds.com — the most comprehensive video-based oboe reed making course currently available, with 56 lessons covering the complete American long-scrape method.

Contact: shalitaoboereeds@gmail.com | 877-932-7332