News

Purple border

Billings Symphony players and their Decker oboes

For the Billings Symphony oboists, there’s nothing quite like a Decker oboe. Ken Decker began his career at the age of 13 when he began an apprenticeship with Russell L. Davis, a repairman based in Billings. Davis was one of the first graduates of the C. G. Conn musical instrument company and repair school in Elkhart, Indiana.

Decker’s wife, Sandy Stimson (pictured above at left), is Principal oboe of the Bozeman Symphony and performs on English horn and third oboe with the Billings Symphony. She performs on a rosewood Decker oboe made by her husband.

“The Decker oboes have a pure ringing tonal quality and an even sound throughout the scale,” said Stimson.

And she’s not the only one who performs on these beloved instruments.

Ken Decker. Photo courtesy Sandy Stimson.

Principal oboe Sue Logan (pictured above at right), who has been in her position with the Billings Symphony since 2002, has a Decker oboe made of boxwood, a light golden color, with gold-plated keys.

“The oboists of the Billings Symphony love to play together with their Decker oboes because of the rich matching sounds and the enjoyment of the “bling factor”; those gold keys” Logan said.

Kris Ostwalt (pictured above, center), who started playing in the Billings Symphony in 1998, first on English Horn and later switched to second oboe, performs on a Decker oboe made of rosewood, a beautiful dark striped wood, contrasted with gold-plated keys.

“The sound is as beautiful as the instrument,” said Ostwalt.

Decker’s first experience with woodwinds was the alto saxophone, which he started playing in the 4th grade. By 7th grade, he was encouraged to take up the oboe, and it has been his livelihood ever since. Soon after, he landed the second oboe spot in the Billings Symphony and played in that chair through his senior year of high school. After some meanderings, he ended up playing Principal oboe with the Billings Symphony, ending that position in 1979.

Decker opened his shop, Decker Music Service, in 1973, in Billings, and relocated to Livingston, Montana in June of 2013 where his shop is now in operation.

Wine Down with the Symphony

January 2, 2023

The Ultimate At-Home Experience Enjoy a night of wine, charcuterie, and live music-all from the comfort of your home! Grab a virtual ticket to get 4 personal 3oz bottles, a…

Read More

Nothing compares to Handel’s Messiah

December 4, 2022

Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale Presents Handel’s Messiah, a Christmas Tradition Handel’s Messiah is a fixture of the holiday season that is as inspiring today as it was when it…

Read More

Nutcracker Ballet, a Billings Symphony Holiday Tradition

November 18, 2022

The Nutcracker Ballet is a classic story nearly synonymous with Christmas. Young Clara receives a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, and her dreams take flight with sugarplum fairies, dancing snowflakes, and…

Read More

Billings Symphony players and their Decker oboes

October 20, 2022

For the Billings Symphony oboists, there’s nothing quite like a Decker oboe. Ken Decker began his career at the age of 13 when he began an apprenticeship with Russell L. Davis,…

Read More

World premiere of ‘American Veteran: A Story Without Words’ to showcase Billings Veterans

October 19, 2022

When Photographer Marcus “Doc” Cravens makes a portrait, he asks his subject to tell him a story. He’s developed an eye for emotion, and when the moment is right, he…

Read More

Montana Composer Ilse-Mari Lee to honor veterans through music

October 15, 2022

When Ilse-Mari Lee sits down to write, she wastes little time. Ilse-Mari Lee is a composer, concert cellist and Dean of the Montana State University (MSU) Honors College. Her latest…

Read More

Meet the newest board members of the Billings Symphony

October 12, 2022

The Billings Symphony is committed to sharing the joy of music with others and nurturing a new generation of audiences and musicians. We’re excited to welcome two new board members…

Read More

Global talent Chee-Yun (and her 345 year-old violin) to perform in Billings Oct. 15

October 6, 2022

There’s a reason why the only violin concerto Jean Sibelius wrote is still celebrated almost 120 years after its final draft. It’s exquisite, intense, and complex, written by a composer…

Read More

Montana debut of Jennifer Higdon’s ‘Cold Mountain Suite’ featured in Billings Symphony’s American Kaleidoscope

September 19, 2022

When Pulitzer Prize winning composer Jennifer Higdon set out to write her first opera, she considered more than 100 stories and books before her gaze landed on the book “Cold…

Read More

Renowned pianist Kevin Cole joins Billings Symphony to perform Gershwin classic ‘Rhapsody in Blue’

September 19, 2022

It has been said that it’s impossible to play Gershwin’s Rapsody in Blue well, unless you love it. If that’s true, the love abounds when Kevin Cole is at the…

Read More