Biography
Described as “pretty sensational” by the Times and “peerless” by the Arts Desk, Olivier Stankiewicz has been principal oboe of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) since 2015. An artist in residence at Wigmore Hall during the 2024–2025 season, he is widely sought after as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher, performing throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States. During his Wigmore residency, he curated concerts with artists including Lucy Crowe, Thomas Dunford, Alasdair Beatson, and Liza Ferschtman.
As a soloist, Olivier Stankiewicz has appeared with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Orchestre National de France, collaborating with conductors such as Paavo Järvi, Tugan Sokhiev, and Jaime Martín. He has performed Zimmermann’s Oboe Concerto with François-Xavier Roth and the LSO, and is deeply engaged in contemporary music. Colin Matthews’s oboe concerto is the third concerto written for and premièred by him, which follows works by Benjamin Attahir and Laurent Durupt. He has also commissioned and premièred many solo pieces, by composers including Tonia Ko and Januibe Tejera, and appeared as a soloist with Ronnie Scott’s big band.
A committed chamber musician, he has given recitals at the Morgan Library (New York), Auditorium du Louvre (Paris), Toppan Hall (Tokyo), and the Phillips Collection (Washington, D.C.), and has appeared at venues and festivals including Snape Maltings, the Delft Chamber Music Festival, and Musikdorf Ernen. At the Wigmore Hall, he performed with Michael Collins and Stephen Hough, and alongside Renaud Capuçon at the Easter Festival in Aix-en-Provence. His Proms debut recital with Huw Watkins was broadcast live by BBC radio 3.
His recordings have received critical acclaim from BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone, and Radio France Musique. Releases include Mozart Violin Sonatas with Jonathan Ware (Delphian), Mozart’s Oboe Concerto with the LSO (LSO Live), and, in 2024, the complete Zelenka Trio Sonatas alongside Armand Djikoloum, Théo Platt, Satoko Doi, and Jordi Carrasco-Hjelm (Challenge Records/ BR Klassik), as well as the world premiere recording of Bruce Broughton’s Oboe Concerto “And on the Sixth Day” with the LSO (Naxos).
Born in Nice in 1989, Olivier Stankiewicz studied in Paris with David Walter and Jacques Tys. He won the 10th International Oboe Competition of Japan in 2012 and was a prize-winner at the YCAT International Auditions in London and the YCA auditions in New York. He is currently Professor of Oboe at the Royal College of Music in London and regularly gives masterclasses worldwide.