Melissa Hooper
Musician Spotlight by Jacob Jahiel
Melissa Hooper
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OBOE
“ There is a friendly tie of some sort between music and eating ,” the Victorian writer Thomas Hardy once wrote . BSO Assistant Principal Oboe Melissa Hooper , whose earliest memory of baking predates a relationship with her instrument , knows that better than most .
“ I ’ ve been baking my whole life ,” Hooper said . Growing up in South Texas , she first began to make jams , cobblers , pies , and scones with her parents . The hobby stuck , literally and figuratively , and now many of her confections make their way backstage ( or onto the @ baltimoresymphonymusicians Instagram page ) to be admired , then promptly consumed : “ The musicians really love it .”
“ I think anyone can bake if you know how to follow directions ,” Hooper said . But , like music , it helps if you have something of quality to work with : “ ingredients matter !” To craft her own masterpieces , Hooper frequents local farms around Baltimore in search of fresh fruits and berries — “ it ’ s so much better than anything you can find at the grocery store . Plus , it ’ s so beautiful .”
Baking , as it turns out , demands many of the same skills that Hooper uses on stage or in the practice room . “ Baking and music both require attention to detail , and a really meticulous approach . You can bend the rules , but only when you ’ re really comfortable with what you ’ re doing .” This is an attitude Hooper also applies to making her own woodwind reeds , which takes up hours of her time each week . “ It ’ s sort of like having another job ! It ’ s also similar to baking in that it ’ s fussy , and there is a certain process .” Nothing beats having a hand-made reed , she said , “ but it ’ s much more fun to end up with baked goods . They turn out more often .”
Melissa Hooper is generously sponsored for the 2024 – 25 season by Earl and Darielle Linehan .
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