Portrait of Jacob Slattery. Photo by Julian Morris.
Meet Jacob
Jacob Slattery (Oboe / English Horn) is a New York-based musician whose life work is focused on the advancement of American music throughout the world. Jacob takes pride in supporting the work of organizations and projects committed to innovation, inclusivity, and social good.
A passionate advocate for new music, Jacob has worked with composers such as John Luther Adams, Yin Chengzong, Paula Kimper, Richard Wilson, and Eric Ewazen and artists across genres including Christine Ebersole, Frank Huang, Mario Cantone, Henry Huo, and Clarke Thorell. In 2019, he debuted Sol 489, a piece written for him by Elliot Roman for bass oboe, viola, and vibraphone—set to sunrise imagery from the surface of Mars.
Jacob is an active freelance oboe and English horn player in New York City. He has performed with several orchestras including the Fort Greene Orchestra, Modus Operandi Orchestra, Classical NoMads, Bronx Opera, MidAtlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Chamber Players. Internationally, he toured Austria with the Musikverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien and performed with Camarata Music in South Korea.
Jacob is also deeply engaged in promoting accessibility and inclusion in the arts. In 2024, he performed in the Bella Music Foundation’s concert competition for blind musicians. In 2022 and 2024, he took part in a landmark tour of Beethoven’s Fidelio with Gustavo Dudamel, Deaf West Theatre, and the LA Phil.
Jacob studied oboe with Sherry Sylar (New York Philharmonic), Andrew Price (Boston Pops), Dr. Alfred Hertel (Tonkünstler Orchester Wien), Andrea Kraut (Vienna Symphony), and Dr. Merilee Klemp (Augsburg University). He has performed in masterclasses with Nathan Hughes (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), John Snow (Minnesota Orchestra), and Kathy Greenbank (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra).
Orpheus Bureau
In 2019, Jacob founded the Orpheus Bureau, an arts company that seeks to promote and advance American music and to develop new audiences through the expansion of affinity and curiosity.
Orpheus Bureau works with musicians and artists who defy the status quo, stray from their orbits, challenge the world, and seek to unite peoples and cultures through art and music.