At the tender age of twenty-six Joey began auditioning for a job, as it seemed that he had no budget for dinners out and warm sweaters. No one was more surprised than he when in three years came three subsequent jobs: Second Oboe in the Thunder Bay Symphony, Principal Oboe in the Windsor Symphony and finally Principal Oboe in the Memphis Symphony. He has also appeared with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, the Orchestras of the National Ballet and Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, and with Montreal's Nouvel Ensemble Moderne.

Canadian Joseph Salvalaggio discovered the oboe at the age of fifteen when it was brought to his attention that his high school had no oboist. Concurrently, it was revealed to him that the band was going on a trip to Florida. His choice seemed obvious: choose the oboe, get a great tan and embark on a life in music. Thankfully, all went according to plan. Soon after picking up oboe, he attended the Interlochen Academy for the Arts and then studied at McGill University in Montreal, the University of Toronto and the Royal Conservatory.

His performances have illicited rave reviews from critics and crowds alike. "Joey is the Eddie Van Halen of the oboe," effused Jeremy Hake, former cellist in the Memphis Symphony. "Mr. Salvalaggio looks like an extra on Dawson's Creek," gushed a starry-eyed reviewer for the Windsor Star. (In a letter to the editor, Joey expressed anger over looking like an extra; he thought he merited at least the part-season recurring weekly role of "bookish oboist next door"...)

Mr. Salvalaggio performs regularly on CBC Radio in recital and gave a performance of all Canadian music at the 2002 International Double Reed Society Convention in Banff, Alberta, Canada. He has premiered works by Erik Ross and Lothar Klien and given the Toronto premiere of Marjan Mozetich's Concerto for Oboe with the Sinfonia of Nations and frequently performs the infrequently performed (it's very hard) Byzantium for oboe and tape by Christos Hatzis.

In 2003 Joey will begin and end the year by performing the world premieres of two concerti written especially for him: in January, the Erik Ross Oboe Concerto with the Memphis Symphony, and in December, a trip back to Canada to perform the Elizabeth Raum Oboe Concerto with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.

When he's not practicing or obsessing about oboe reeds, Joey likes to read, and from the Canadian literary tradition derives his deepest source of national pride; Margaret Laurence, Adele Wiseman and Barbara Gowdy are just a few of his favorite Canadian authors. In addition to this he is trying to find other hobbies, because everyone else seems to have more than just one.

*Images provided of Dawson's Creek are links directly to the official Dawson's Creek Site and do not imply any association between Joseph Salvalaggio or the Memphis Symphony and Warner Brothers, Dawson's Creek or any of the shows writers.