Artiste Model Oboe

Gerard Fossati created his first instrument in 1983, motivated by a strong desire to improve oboe-making in general. His vision has always been the optimization of the whole instrument (i.e mechanics, sound, intonation), so as to best suit every musician's expectations. The Fossati Artiste Model is a beautiful embodiment of this mindset. Thanks to the combination of Fossati's traditional know-how and his welcoming attitude toward new technologies (CAD for R&D, numeric lathes, et cetera.), the Fossati instruments have both a lasting reliability and the voice of a fine instrument. Twenty years after establishing his company, this fusion of the old with the new has made the Fossati brand an important name on the international oboe market.

Gerard Fossati believes that musicians have to be at the core of his thoughts in the process of instrument making. This is why he works hand-in-hand with many of the world's leading players. From Brazil to Russia or from Japan to the USA, Gerard Fossati does not hesitate to travel the world to meet them. Each country has its own particularities. Each musician is different and has his own morphology, his own way to gouge and shape the reeds. Taking into account these parameters is essential to renew the instrument making tradition.

All of these meetings have allowed Fossati develop a complete range of instruments (oboes, english horns, oboes d'amore and bass oboes). Each of the instruments is tested by professional musicians, including Michel Benet, who is Oboe principal at Orchestre de Paris, tunes the Artiste model. When you take delivery of your Fossati Artiste, this is the kind of professional attention it has received, assuring its quality, intonation and reliability. Today around 20 people make more than 700 instruments a year in the Fossati factory based in Montargis (South of Paris).