Ari Cohen Mann (they/them) serves up brightness and optimism through their popular social media channels and "brilliant virtuosity" (The Whole Note) through their playing. Ari has been hailed as the "Jonathan Van Ness of the oboe" (CBC Music), proudly championing their queer identity and serving as a role model for LGBTQ youth. Ari is a dynamic recitalist, new music proponent, orchestral musician, and educator based in Toronto. Ari was recently named on CBC’s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians under 30. Ari is a Howarth Artist and plays on a Howarth LXV-VT oboe.

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    With playing described as “emotionally charged” (Ludwig van Toronto), Ari is passionate about advancing the instrument as a solo voice in recitals and chamber music. Ari's solo debut at Carnegie Hall was with harpist Noël Wan, as featured artists in the Yale in New York series. Ari has performed as concerto soloist with the National Academy Orchestra, Canadian Studio Symphony, and Ontario Philharmonic.

    Ari was a prizewinner at the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Manulife Competition, and the winner of the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition and Ben Steinberg Musical Legacy Award. They were a semi-finalist in the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition.

    A champion of new music and lesser-known solo music for the oboe and English horn, Ari has been fortunate to premiere pieces by Jocelyn Morlock, Nicky Sohn, Matthew Emery, and Felipe Téllez. Ari has fostered a partnership with the Yarilo Contemporary Music Society in Vancouver, BC as both a featured recitalist and ensemble member for Steve Reich’s Tehillim. Ari has served as guest principal oboe with the Esprit Orchestra.

    Feeling equally at home within the orchestra, Ari cherishes performing with ensembles in Canada and abroad. In Ontario, Ari has appeared with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Symphony Orchestras of Toronto, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, Niagara, and Windsor. Their festival appearances include The National Repertory Orchestra (Breckenridge, Colorado), L’Orchestre de la Francophonie, The National Academy Orchestra of Canada, and The National Youth Orchestra of Canada where they received the Award of Excellence. Outside of North America, they have toured to India, China, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Portugal.

    Ari is a recent addition to the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University as Oboe Instructor. Ari has previously held positions as an Oboe Instructor at Yale College and as a Teaching Artist at the Yale Music in Schools Initiative. They proudly serve as a Mentor for the National Academy Orchestra of Canada. Ari is a frequent clinician at arts high schools in the Greater Toronto Area. For information about online oboe lessons including free trial lessons for prospective Laurier students, click here.

    Ari is a graduate of the prestigious Artist Diploma program at the Yale School of Music. They completed their Master of Music at Mannes School of Music and their Bachelor of Music at the University of British Columbia where they were awarded the UBC Medal in Music. Ari’s teachers and mentors include Sarah Jeffrey, Stephen Taylor, Sherry Sylar, and Beth Orson.