Eugene Izotov has been the Principal Oboist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 2006. He has previously served as the Principal Oboist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Associate Principal Oboist of the San Francisco Symphony, and Principal Oboist of the Kansas City Symphony. He is the first prize winner of the 2001 Fernand Gillet International Oboe Competition, and a laureate of the 1995 New York International Competition for Oboe Players. Born in Russia, he studied at the Gnesin School in Moscow and the Boston University School of Music. He teaches at DePaul and Roosevelt Universities. This is his tenth appearance at PMF since 2005.