Mary Lynch VanderKolk

oboe

Hailed as “the star of the evening” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and praised for her “wistful and evocative” playing by The Seattle Times, Mary Lynch VanderKolk has been Principal Oboe of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra since 2014. She previously held the position of Second Oboe with The Cleveland Orchestra and has performed as Guest Principal Oboe with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. She has performed many times as soloist with the Seattle Symphony, including the world première recording of Marc-André Dalbavie’s Oboe Concerto on Seattle Symphony Media. Her growing list of solo recordings also includes two albums of music by Canadian composer Christopher Tyler Nickel (Avie Records) as well as Dutilleux’s Les Citations (Seattle Symphony Media).

An avid chamber musician, Ms. VanderKolk regularly performs at the Marlboro Music Festival, the Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Seattle Chamber Music Society. Her chamber music performances have been enthusiastically reviewed and broadcast on radio stations around the world, including on American Public Media’s Performance Today.

Ms. VanderKolk received her Bachelor of Music at New England Conservatory and her Master of Music from The Juilliard School; on her graduation from Juilliard, she was awarded the prestigious William Schuman Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music. Her teachers include John Ferrillo, Elaine Douvas, and Nathan Hughes, and she studied at Interlochen Arts Academy with Daniel Stolper. Now a devoted teacher herself, she regularly presents masterclasses around the country and maintains a private studio in Seattle. For more information, visit marylynchoboe.com.

Laila Storch and Martin Friedmann Legacy Artist