French musician born in 1971, Eric Speller began studying the oboe at age 12, studying first with Claude Maisonneuve and then with Michel Gibourot. In 1991, he enrolled at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Lyon, where he was awarded a First Prize in 1994.
He was subsequently admitted to Maurice Bourgue’s class at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Genève and received the Prix de Perfectionnement in 1995.
That same year, he joined the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, where he served as Co-Principal Oboist until 1997.
Since 1997, he has been Principal Oboist of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra.
Eric Speller is a laureate of the Natexis Banques Populaires Foundation and won the UFAM International Oboe Competition in Paris in 1994.
He was also a finalist and prize winner at the Prague International Oboe Competition in 1996 and won third prize at the Tokyo International Oboe Competition in 1997.
An internationally recognized teacher, he is regularly invited to give master classes in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Vietnam, the United States, Japan, Australia, China…
Eric Speller has been a professor of oboe at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels since 2011.
He taught at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp from 2001 to 2003, at the IMEP in Namur from 2004 to 2010, and at the École Normale Cortot in Paris from 2016 to 2019.
He performs as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe, Japan, China, and Latin America, and has recorded for Radio 3 Belgium, France Musiques, Mezzo, and Arte.
A versatile and passionate musician, his repertoire ranges from Baroque music on period instruments to contemporary works. For example, he premiered and recorded “Fragments des belles heures” by Pierre Bartholomée (Cyprès label) and regularly collaborates with the baroque orchestra Le Concert Spirituel (conducted by Hervé Niquet), Le Concert d’Astrée (conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm), as well as with the Amarillis ensemble, with whom he has participated in several recordings (Charpentier, Haendel…).
His recordings have been warmly received by critics in the French and international press, who praise “his art of timbre, nuance, and phrasing with infinite charm” (Diapason), his “exemplary interpretations in terms of stylistic rigor and the quality of his phrasing ” (Le Monde de la Musique), “his infinitesimal nuances, his inexhaustible legato, the absolute purity of his tone, the homogeneity and beauty of his sound…” (Répertoire).
He has received the highest honors, including the Diapason d’Or for his album dedicated to Britten’s works for oboe.
His first album, released in 1999, was dedicated to Robert Schumann; his second, released in 2001, to Benjamin Britten; and his third, released in 2003, to Antal Dorati and Heinz Holliger.
This was followed by a recording dedicated to 19th-century salon music and, most recently, to German Baroque music.
Passionate and curious, he has a keen interest in instrument making and served as a test player and head of research and development at Buffet Crampon for over 15 years. He contributed to the creation of all models up through 2022, notably the Virtuose and the Légende.
He then joined the prestigious Lorée company and became a tester and brand ambassador.