Mainly Mozart soloist Erin Hannigan a standout on oboe and with animals

Last month, Erin Hannigan was preparing for her last two performances as Dallas Symphony’s principal oboist before joining the faculty at the prestigious Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston.

Before making the life-changing leap, Hannigan took time to discuss her big move, love of the oboe, reed-making, support of rescue animals and her longtime affiliation with San Diego’s Mainly Mozart.

She will be one of the 70 top musicians to perform at Mainly Mozart’s All-Star Orchestra Festival beginning Wednesday and concluding June 28. Four festival concerts will take place at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla. The other two will be at UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater.

Hannigan played seven times, from 1999 to 2007, with Mainly Mozart at its original home, downtown’s Balboa Theatre.

“I started performing with them again at the outdoor concerts the festival had smartly reconfigured for COVID,” she said, speaking from her Dallas home.

“I’ve liked watching how the organization has evolved. It wasn’t easy navigating all that and Mainly Mozart really did it well. And Michael Francis is just the perfect conductor for this orchestra. He’s excellent professionally, but he’s also very personable. Michael creates such a connection with the audience.”

Francis, in turn, calls Hannigan “a wonderful musician.” He expressed delight that she will share first and second oboe roles at the festival with Frank Rosenwein, Cleveland Orchestra’s principal oboe.

“It’s really charming,” Francis said. “They’re good friends.”

Hannigan believes that cooperative spirit is inherent to the festival.

“The number one thing to know about Mainly Mozart is it’s an amazing gathering of incredible musicians, but with no ego,” she said. “We just work out our assignments and have a good time. That egoless thing really adds to it all. The audience can tell we’re up there having fun.”

`Wonderful musical camaraderie’

This year, Mainly Mozart’s Francis is featuring more orchestra veterans as soloists than in other years. Wednesday’s opening night at the Baker-Baum will feature six concertmasters playing solos in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

On Friday, two Mainly Mozart mainstays, clarinetist Boris Allakhverdyan and bassoonist Whitney Crockett, will be in the spotlight performing Strauss’s Duet Concertino.

In another unusual touch, the festival is highlighting the work of a contemporary composer. British violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley will perform his own “A Klezmer Concerto” with the orchestra on June 26.

On June 28 at the Epstein, Bendix-Balgley will join acclaimed pianist Joyce Yang and Robert DeMaine, principal cello of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, for Beethoven’s Triple Concerto. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 will close the festival that night.

“This year’s festival has a great balance,” Francis said. “It’s a terrific opportunity for our audience to hear familiar composers alongside slightly unfamiliar repertoire.

“I know that the musicians are excited because there will be so many solos. They always bring their best. It’s going to be a wonderful musical camaraderie.”

The Epstein now has more food and seating options for picnickers, noted Nancy Laturno, Mainly Mozart’s CEO. Attendees can buy food or bring their own.

“Before the concert, you can mingle,” Laturno said. “You can have appetizers, wine and other beverages, and then sit down — either on our patio furniture, the Adirondack chairs or a blanket on the grass — and watch the concert from the area where you just had your party.”

Artists for Animals

Joining in the camaraderie on stage, Hannigan will be a soloist in the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 on June 24 at The Conrad.

When the oboist, a native of Mt. Gretna, Penn., makes the move to Houston, she’ll be accompanied by her husband of six years, Fred Tuomi, Gabby, her Siamese cat, and dog, Jophiel.

During her time with the Dallas Symphony, Hannigan co-founded Artists for Animals, which supports nonprofit animal rescue organizations. The group presents Concerts for Kindness, which has raised over $450,000 for rescue organizations.

“The money we bring in all goes directly to the animals,” said Hannigan, who has fostered 156 dogs. “I hope to transfer this wonderful project to Houston, once I get the lay of the land. Rice University is very interested in community engagement. I’m sure I’ll find a landing spot for Artists for Animals.”

When Hannigan practices the oboe, Jophiel runs the other way. But Gabby will sit for hours while the oboist practices and makes reeds for her instrument. She calculated that she has made 8,000 to 10,000 reeds over the course of a career that began when she joined the Rochester Philharmonic in 1994.

“If you don’t make them yourself, you can end up playing on a setup of oboe and reed that makes it very hard to put your air through,” she said. “The reed needs to be properly balanced.”

Why the oboe, which she has played since the age of 7?

“The sound is incredibly expressive,” Hannigan explained. “Some of the most beautiful solos in the orchestral repertoire were written for the oboe.”

While teaching at Rice University, she will also be a guest as a soloist and principal for orchestras around the country.

But before embarking on that adventure, Hannigan will be spending two weeks here with Mainly Mozart. Her husband, a former Rancho Santa Fe resident with family in North County, is coming, too.

“I’ve gotten to know San Diego through Mainly Mozart,” Hannigan said. “In the early years, I got to know downtown San Diego, and — these days — La Jolla. Now it’s also family time. Fred spends time with his family, and I join whenever I can.

“It’s a lovely time to visit both San Diego family and the musicians and friends I don’t see other than at Mainly Mozart.”

Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival 2025 Schedule

When: All concerts begin at 7 p.m. Each performance lasts 75-90 minutes. Concerts at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall will have a 15-minute intermission.

Where: Epstein Family Amphitheater at UC San Diego, 9480 Innovation Lane, La Jolla; The Baker-Baum Concert Hall, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla.

SCHEDULE

Wednesday, June 18: Mozart’s Serenade in C Major, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Piazzola’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Friday, June 20: Mozart’s Serenade No. 6 “Serenata Notturna,” Strauss’ Duet Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon featuring Boris Allakhverdyan and Whitney Crockett, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major. Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Saturday, June 21: Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro, Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor and Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor featuring pianist Joyce Yang. Epstein Family Amphitheater

Tuesday, June 24: Stravinsky’s Concerto in E-flat, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos No. 2 and No. 5, and Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D Major. Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Thursday, June 26: Mozart’s Overture to Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), Bendix-Balgley’s A Klezmer Concerto featuring composer and violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley, and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 in D Major “Reformation.” Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Saturday, June 28: Mozart’s Overture to Così, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in C Major, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A Major. Epstein Family Amphitheater

Tickets: Single tickets for Epstein Family Amphitheater concerts range from $25 to $149. Single tickets for Baker-Baum Concert Hall performances range from $65 to $149. Subscription packages are also available.

Info: 619-239-0100

Online: mainlymozart.org