Tom Nugent is a native of Eugene and has recently returned home after a busy, long-lived performing and teaching career in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Nugent currently holds the Principal Oboe position in Sacramento Philharmonic, Sacramento Opera, Sacramento Choral Society, Stockton Symphony, Mendocino Music Festival, and Bear Valley Music Festival. He also performs with Oakland Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Fremont Symphony, Marin Symphony, Chamber Music Society of Sacramento, and Sierra Chamber Society. Mr. Nugent is a founding member of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s premier contemporary chamber music groups and has been involved with many commissions and premieres from a wide range of composers. He has also appeared with San Francisco Symphony, SF Opera, SF Ballet, and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. Mr. Nugent has performed as soloist with Sacramento Philharmonic, Stockton Symphony, Mendocino Music Festival Orchestra, and Bear Valley Music Festival. He has attended National Repertory Orchestra, Spoleto USA and Italy, and Tanglewood Music Center summer festivals. Mr. Nugent has also performed at several International Double Reed Society conferences. He has been on the jury for the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition, a competition for young professional women bassoonist. His most recent recording project was “Three Pieces for Ten Instruments” by John Steinmetz. Commissioned in part by the Pacific Arts Woodwind Quintet and a consortium of other commissioners. Released on the Mill Ave Chamber Players CD, “What the Birds Said” with the composer producing. An avid, devoted teacher, he recently retired from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music after 29 years of teaching and performing with the Pacific Arts Woodwind Quintet. Mr. Nugent was also oboe instructor at Mills College, Saint Mary’s College, and UC Santa Cruz. He enjoys watching his students go on to major music programs such as Juilliard, Oberlin, New England Conservatory, and San Francisco Conservatory and then come full circle to become orchestral colleagues. Mr. Nugent studied at San Francisco Conservatory of Music where he was a student of renowned oboist Marc Lifschey, the former principal of Cleveland Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. A passionate home winemaker, Mr. Nugent has been making wine for over 20 years and studied enology at Napa Valley College. He also performs in the Bay Area blues band, Blue Noiz, on electric bass. Check them out on SoundCloud.