Born in Glasgow, John Roberts took up the oboe at the age of eleven under the tutelage of Stephen West. In 2008 he moved to London, enrolling first at the Royal College of Music, and later the Royal Academy of Music, to study with Christopher Cowie, Gareth Hulse, Celia Nicklin and Christine Pendrill.

Since 2011, he has been working in various orchestras around the UK and Ireland, including every symphony orchestra in Glasgow and London. Since 2013, he has been Principal Oboe in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As well as orchestral concerts, John Roberts likes to participate in music-making on a smaller scale as much as possible, with projects during the current season with London Winds and London Sinfonietta.

He recently made his debut concert performance of Vaughan Williams’ Oboe Concerto at Cadogan Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.