Oscar Luque

Supported by Douglas & Michelle Rathbun

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Oscar had his first exposure to classical music through the globally acclaimed Sistema de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela (Fundamusical Simón Bolívar) - San Agustín branch - with Professor Mylene Zambrano. Later, he began his formal studies of the instrument at the Academia Latinoamericana de Contrabajo under the guidance of the renowned educator, Félix Petit.

At the age of 15, Oscar won his first prize in the National Double Bass Competition of Venezuela in the youth category. In 2013, he secured the Second Prize and the "Thomas Martin" Special Prize for the best performance of Giovanni Bottesini from the International Society of Bassists (ISB) in Rochester, New York. That same year, he won the First Prize at the International Double Bass Competition "Rubato Strings" in Tokyo, Japan.

Oscar’s training as a double bassist has been directly influenced by masters such as Janne Saksala, Nabil Sheata, Janusz Widzyk, Klaus Stoll, Edicson Ruiz, among others. He has been invited to play with prestigious orchestras like the Berliner Philharmoniker, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, etc. and has performed as a soloist and in recitals with the most recognised orchestras of his home country, Venezuela, and México. 

Oscar served as Principal Double Bass of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela since 2007, under the direction of one of the most celebrated conductors of his generation, Gustavo Dudamel. He participated in numerous worldwide tours and performed at renowned venues and festivals. 

With the Simón Bolívar Orchestra, he closely worked with Maestros Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim, Rafael Payare, Domingo Garcia Hindoyan, Essa Pekka-Salonen, Rafael Frübeck de Burgos, and many more, and accompanied soloists such as Natalia Gutman, Maxim Vengerov, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Martha Argerich, Yo-Yo Ma, Alisa Weislerstain, Gautier and Renaud Capuçon.

Oscar recently joined the NZSO as Assistant Principal Double Bass after an 8-year tenure as Principal Solo Double Bass of Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco in México.