Many of you are familiar with Lani Spahr, but if you are new to Coastal Concerts, you may not have had the opportunity to meet him yet. Even long-time attendees may be surprised by the breadth of his accomplishments and contributions.

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Lani Spahr is an internationally recognized, award-winning audio restoration engineer, writer, and producer. He was also a former professional oboist and a former member of the Coastal Concerts Board of Directors. We are proud to have Lani serve as our in-house Performance Insights Lecturer. His engaging, half-hour pre-concert talks are both educational and entertaining, enriching the concert experience for our audience members. By skillfully integrating audio and visual aids, Lani highlights composers, provides insights into the program and featured instruments, shares historical context, and explores topics that deepen the audience’s appreciation of the music. These lectures are complimentary with your concert ticket.

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Lani’s career is truly remarkable. Born in the tiny town of Shepherdstown, Pennsylvania, he began studying the oboe at an early age, setting his sights on becoming a professional musician—and he achieved that goal. Lani served as principal oboist for the Colorado Springs Symphony and has been featured in concerto performances in the UK on several occasions. As a performer on historic instruments, he has performed with many distinguished period instrument orchestras, including Boston Baroque, The Handel+Haydn Society of Boston, Apollo’s Fire (Cleveland), Washington Bach Consort, and Toronto’s renowned Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, with whom he completed multiple European tours.

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In addition to his performing career, Lani has earned international acclaim as an audio restoration engineer, writer, and producer. His passion for the works of Edward Elgar has been a defining aspect of his professional life.

 

“There was just something about Elgar that I was deeply moved by,” Lani shared in a recent studio interview with Andrew Neill of the Elgar Society. The interview offers a fascinating glimpse into Lani’s career and his admiration for Elgar’s music. You can learn more about his journey by clicking the button below to download a PDF of the full interview.

 

As we begin the new year with a dynamic performance by the musical group INVOKE on January 10th, we are delighted to announce that Lani will once again present Performance Insights lectures before each Coastal Concerts program in January, February, and March 2026. Lectures will begin one hour prior to concert start time (at 1:00 PM for 2:00 PM concerts and at 6:00 PM for 7:00 PM concerts).

 

We invite you to join us for these enlightening sessions, which are sure to enhance your concert experience.