Career
He is currently the Principal Oboist of the San Francisco Symphony appointed by Michael Tilson Thomas in 2014. First Russian-born oboist in any major United States. symphony orchestra. Prior to these posts, he served as the Principal Oboist of the Chicago Symphony, Principal Oboist of the Metropolitan Opera, Principal Oboist of the Kansas City Symphony and has taught at the Juilliard School and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
In addition to being recognized as one of the world"s premiere orchestral oboists, Izotov has been awarded top prizes at international competitions for solo oboists in Moscow (1990), Saint St. Petersburg (1991), New York (1995) and the First Prize at the 2001 Fernand Gillet International Oboe competition.
Eugene Izotov"s solo and chamber music collaborations include partnerships with Bernard Haitink, Riccardo Muti, James Levine, Nicholas McGegan, Michael Tilson Thomas, Yo Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, Jaime Laredo, André Watts, Emanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, and the Tokyo String Quartet. He is a frequent soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has recorded for Sony Classical, Boston Records, Lisem Records, BMG, Elektra, and CSOResound.