Camille Strahl, Oboe Teacher:

Camille Strahl is a freelance oboist and educator. She holds a current Pennsylvania K-12 teaching license and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Brigham Young University where she studied oboe with Geralyn Giovannetti. Camille played principal oboe in the multi-state Millennial Choirs and Orchestras as well as second oboe in the Utah Wind Symphony. During this time she also enjoyed teaching elementary music courses to kids of varying ages and abilities. Camille went on to receive her Master’s degree in performance from Carnegie Mellon University where she studied oboe with Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida.

Camille’s favorite musical memory is going to the Philippines to solo live with Lea Salonga and the Brigham Young University Chamber Orchestra. The concert is immortalized on the 2019 album “The Story of My Life.” More recently she played principal oboe under the baton of Gerard Schwarz with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic.

Camille subscribes to the philosophy of Leonard Bernstein who said: “To be the best teachers possible, we need to be the best musicians we can be, not teachers who happen to be teaching music, but musicians who specialize in the art of teaching.” -Leonard Bernstein

Camille strives to be the best musician she can be in order to teach her students well. She is constantly learning new repertoire to play with the PAC Reed Trio and scheming up creative projects for them to undertake. One of her creative interests is in combining music with other art forms. She knows that her students come to her with their own unique goals and interests. Understanding this, she offers many guided music electives to help them become the best musician they can be. These could include an introduction to composition, improvisation, playing by ear, reed making, guided listening, recording, or college audition prep.

Camille and her husband William enjoy bird watching and listening to audio books. When she is not practicing, making reeds, teaching, or performing, you might find her riding her bike down the Great Allegheny Passage.