I hear you ask - what is wrong with the oboe as it stands? Well in many ways nothing! However much of today’s more challenging music demands a great deal of the instrument and of the performer: works such as Michael Finnissy’s Runnin’ Wild or Roger Redgate’s Ausgangspunkte explore the instrument and its possibilities in great depth. These works have caused me to rethink many aspects of the design of the keywork and in the next few years I will be working with T W Howarth in the design of changes to the system that will better meet the demands this challenging repertoire. I hope also that the redesign will open up the oboe to further development and to a wide range of new works.