A native of Southern California, Ted Sugata is currently second oboist with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was a member of the Sarasota Orchestra in Florida, and principal oboist with the Lyrique-en-Mer Opera Festival in Belle-Ile, France.
A native of Southern California, Ted Sugata is currently second oboist with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was a member of the Sarasota Orchestra in Florida, and principal oboist with the Lyrique-en-Mer Opera Festival in Belle-Ile, France. He performs regularly with the Los Angeles Opera, San Diego Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and the Pasadena Symphony. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Calico Winds, a resident woodwind ensemble with the Glendale Noon Concerts.
Mr. Sugata was born and raised in Northridge, California and started the oboe at age 13. As a senior in high school, he was a recipient of The ASCAP Foundation Leiber & Stoller Music Scholarship and a semifinalist in the Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards Competition. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, as a full scholarship student of Joseph Robinson. He continued his graduate studies with John Mack at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received a Master of Music degree. Dr. Sugata recently completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in oboe performance at USC under Dr. Joel Timm. Other influential teachers have included Elaine Douvas, Anne Gabriele, and Jessica Pearlman.
He has participated in several summer festivals including fellowships with the Tanglewood Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Music Academy of the West. Currently, his summers are spent teaching at the Idyllwild Arts summer program where he has been on faculty since 2011. His students have gone on to careers in music and most recently accepted into The Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Rice University, Indiana University, and USC. In addition to teaching at Pepperdine University, he is also on faculty at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts.