Audition Cafe

Introduction

Amelia Van Howe is a freelance oboist and English Hornist in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area where she is in high demand as an orchestral performer. She has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra (Greensburg PA), Johnstown Symphony Orchestra (Johnstown PA), York Symphony Orchestra (York, PA), and the Butler Symphony Orchestra (Butler, PA) among others.

She earned third prize in the 2018 National Society of Arts & Letters Pittsburgh Chapter Music Competition and was the winner of the 2017 Duquesne University Concerto Competition where she performed the Mozart Oboe Concerto with the Duquesne University Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Van Howe was also a finalist in the 2017 & 2014 Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist Competition (Spokane WA) and the 2016 Naftzger Young Artists Auditions & Music Awards competition (Wichita KS). She was a winner of the 2014 First United Methodist Church of Birmingham Young Artist Competition (Birmingham MI) and took third place in the 2014 White Lake Chamber Music Festival Solo Performance Competition (White Lake MI).

She is also a professional oboe reed maker for MKL Reeds and owns her own reed making company – Sunshine Reeds.

Amelia has attended the John Mack Oboe Camp (Little Switzerland, NC) and has attended many prestigious summer festivals including the Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival (Madeline Island, WI), the Music School Festival Orchestra at the Chautauqua Institution (Chautauqua, NY), the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (Lenox, MA), and the Interlochen Center for the Arts (Interlochen, MI).

She earned her Artist Diploma and Master of Music degrees in oboe performance from Duquesne University where she studied with Scott Bell and her Bachelor of Music in oboe performance from Michigan State University where she studied with Jan Eberle.

Along with her oboe endeavors, Amelia serves as the Head Ensembles Librarian for Duquesne University and as a Librarian for the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra.

Amelia shares her townhome with her husband Robert, their dog Xena, and their rabbit Figaro. In her (very limited!) spare time she enjoys running with Xena, drinking fancy coffee, watching The X-Files, and doing crossword puzzles.