Arlene Cochrane

Arlene’s musical appreciation began at the age of 8 when she was offered guitar lessons in primary school. After showing a serious interest in music she was encouraged take up the keyboard and at ten years old, she settled on the oboe.

After progressing through Advanced Higher Music and the ABRSM performance exams, Arlene was offered a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2005 on the Bachelor of Music programme which she completed with honours in 2009.

During her time at the RSAMD, Arlene was awarded all of the orchestral apprenticeship schemes (BBC SSO & RSNO) and performed with the orchestra of Scottish Opera in their productions of Prokofiev’s ‘L’Amour des Trois Oranges’ and ‘War and Peace’.

Arlene has just completed her Postgraduate diploma at the RSAMD studying oboe with Emmanuel Laville (principal RSNO) and Stephane Rancourt (Halle Orchestra) and cor anglais with Stephen West (former RSNO). Arlene is busy in orchestras and ensembles both inside and out with the academy. She has played with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland (undertaking a tour of Holland and Germany) and also enjoys playing in several chamber ensembles. These include ‘Treed’ (a trio of reeds) - the critically acclaimed RSA ‘Stevenson Winds’ directed by Maximiliano Martin of the SCO and who were Highly Commended in the final of the Govonors Recital prize for Chamber Music 2009.

Arlene is also a founding member of The Northern Lights Wind Quintet with whom she won the Govonors Recital prize for Chamber Music in 2010 as well as the Mary D. Adams prize for Chamber Music and subsequently recorded for BBC Broadcast.

Arlene also continues to run a successful teaching practise of private oboe and piano pupils and enjoys nothing more than joining with the Caledonian Quartet to perform at Weddings and functions across the country!

She is grateful to the RSAMD Trust for enabling her to continue her studies on the Masters Programme beginning in September 2010.

Arlene currently plays an XL model oboe by Howarth of London and a cor anglais by Loree of Paris.