Inside YSM: Noah Kay '18MM, oboe

Oboist Noah Kay ’18MM recently talked with us about being drawn to YSM and Prof. Stephen Taylor’s studio by his experiences at the Yale Summer School of Music / Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and about his time, so far, here at Yale. Here’s what Noah had to say.

“Attending Norfolk in the summer of 2014 definitely fueled my interest in Yale and what it has to offer. Having the opportunity to work in close quarters with such great faculty and students in such a great environment was really beneficial, and it opened my eyes to how enriching an experience playing chamber music can be. Prof. Taylor's attitude toward music is something that really attracted me to his studio. Having spent a semester here, I can say that I really value the fact that he approaches everything with humor. The oboe can be a tremendously stressful instrument (mostly because of our reed-making plight), and he has taught me how to stay upbeat and positive even when things are not going as smoothly as I'd like. Lessons with him are all about diving deep into the music and figuring out how to polish an interpretation even further, and my mental process when practicing or learning a piece has taken on much more refinement as a result.

“Having access to Yale University resources has been fantastic. The libraries are absolutely gorgeous, and besides holding a vast array of publications, provide a great place to learn and study on my own. I am excited to be able to take German at the University next semester — a course that meets all week long and looks to be quite an immersive experience. I was able to catch 'Seven Guitars' at the Yale Repertory Theatre last weekend, and I was blown away by the talent, hard work, and dedication that must have gone into such a powerful production. So yeah, being at Yale has been pretty amazing.”