Oboe Professor
About Bill
Bill is the Lecturer of Music, Oboe, at Colorado Mesa University, a position he has held since 2016. He works with students from across Colorado Mesa University’s campus, teaching music appreciation and music history courses. He is also active in the music education degree, teaching multiple courses and mentoring the student chapter of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). He is currently the principal oboist of the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and had the privilege of performing the Strauss Oboe concerto with the orchestra in 2019. His is active as a private teacher, performer, and clinician, including presentations at the Colorado Music Educators Association conference. He has hosted guest artists at studio events, including Peter Cooper and Dr. Mark Ostoich.
Prior to moving to Colorado, Bill earned his Doctor in Musical Arts degree in oboe performance at Arizona State University in December, 2014, where he studied with Martin Schuring. He performed with ensembles throughout the state of Arizona, including guest appearances with the Phoenix Symphony, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Arizona Bach Festival, the Paradise Winds and the Mill Avenue Chamber Players. He served as an adjunct professor at Estrella Mountain Community College and was the band director at the Desert Marigold School in south Phoenix. A native of Pittsburgh, Bill earned his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at Duquesne University and his Master’s degree in Performance at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. His teachers included Dr. Mark Ostoich, Scott Bell, Jim Gorton, Dwight Parry, Christopher Philpotts, and Lon Bussell. Following his Master’s Degree, he held the position of Principal Oboist of the Great Falls Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Chinook Winds Quintet in Great Falls, Montana for three years. During this time, he performed numerous concerts for students grades K-12 with the Chinook Winds Quintet and maintained his own private teaching studio. Bill remains active as a teacher and performer and currently resides in Grand Junction, Colorado with his wife and two children.