Arbítrio (pronounced ar-BEE-tree-oh) was formed in the summer of 1998 when three former students of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found themselves all living and working in the Midwest again. Comprised of oboe, bassoon, and piano, the ensemble takes its name from an Italian phrase, a suo arbitrio, meaning the musicians should perform "at their pleasure".

Dedicated to education, building new audiences, and serving local communities, Arbítrio has presented recitals at colleges and universities, park districts, and retirement communities throughout the Midwest. Arbítrio has also been invited to perform at several important conferences including the 1999 International Double Reed Society conference in Madison, WI, and the 2000 College Music Society Great Lakes conference in Muncie, IN.

Their broad repertoire spans from music of the baroque to music of today. Their interest in contemporary music has led to premieres of new works by Charles Lipp, Patricia Morehead, Zae Munn, Christopher Weait, and Fengshi Yang. Upcoming activities include concerts and recitals in St. Petersburg, Russia, and a performance at the 2000 IDRS conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Alicia Cordoba Tait, performer and teacher of the oboe, oboe d'amore and English horn, received degrees in oboe performance from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Juilliard School in New York City.

As a soloist, Dr. Tait has premiered contemporary works for the oboe and has presented recitals in Chicago; New York; Madrid and Segovia, Spain; Graz, Austria; and St. Petersburg, Russia. She is in demand as a chamber musician, appearing with members of the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera in various ensembles throughout the Chicago area. Dr. Tait has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Trenton Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Ravinia Festival Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and Sinfonia da Camera. She has recorded works by Persichetti, Schwanter and Babbitt with the Juilliard Orchestra on New World Records. Currently, Dr. Tait is Chair of the Fine and Performing Arts Department at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.

Doug Spaniol is Assistant Professor of Music at Butler University's Jordan College of Fine Arts and bassoon instructor at Interlochen Arts Camp. Dr. Spaniol has been a featured soloist at the 1998 International Double Reed Society Conference and in concertos with the Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra and the Jordan Sinfonia. He can be heard playing Drew Krause's Five Pieces for Bassoon on the Innova Records CD Bassoon with a View: Late 20th Century Bassoon Music. Currently principal bassoon of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra, he has also performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and the Columbus (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Spaniol earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, both in bassoon performance. In 1992 he was named a Marshall Scholar and subsequently studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where he was awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Performance. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Ohio State University. His bassoon teachers include Christopher Weait, William Waterhouse, and E. Sanford Berry.

Bradley Haag has studied piano since the age of 5, with most of his early study at the Conservatory of Central Illinois in Urbana. As a student of Dr. William Heiles at the University of Illinois, he won the Clara Rolland Piano Competition, received the Theodor Presser Scholar Award, and was awarded the Armstrong Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Performance. As part of the Armstrong Award, he was soloist in the Ravel Piano Concerto in G with the Illini Symphony.

Mr. Haag earned his master's degree in 1998 from the Manhattan School of Music studying with Jeffrey Cohen. While at Manhattan he was runner-up in the school's annual Piano Concerto Competition. In the spring of 1998, he was named a prize winner in the Artists International audition in New York. As a result, he gave his New York recital debut in January of 1999, in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. A former member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the piano faculty of Benedictine University, Mr. Haag is currently active in the Chicago area as a chamber musician and accompanist.