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Kirstin, who was recently named the 2023 LLMEA Private Teacher of the Year, is a professional oboist and English Horn player who performs and teaches in south-central Pennsylvania. She is the oboe professor at Lebanon Valley College, York College of Pennsylvania and for 24 years, served on the faculty at the Tell School of Music on the campus of Millersville University.
She holds degrees in Music Education and Oboe Performance from IUP and in 1999 graduated summa cum laude as a full scholarship recipient from Michigan State University with a M.M. in Oboe Performance. Aligning with her desire to promote music's healing potential, she also holds a certificate from Penn State Health Artists in Health Training through the Center Stage program in Hershey, PA which is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
In addition to her collegiate appointments, she maintains a private studio of over 30 students in York and at her home in the Lancaster area. Her students have gone on to achieve positions in LLMEA County, PMEA District, Regional, State and NAfME All-Eastern Bands & Orchestras. She also has students placed in youth ensembles such as the Harrisburg Symphony Youth Orchestra, York Youth Symphony, the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra, all Lancaster NextGen ensembles, the Liberty Wind Symphony and (through the gift of Zoom) the Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Kirstin also freelances and adjudicates frequently in the southeastern PA area. She is a 27-year member of the York Symphony Orchestra where, in addition to playing oboe, she serves as an Orchestra Representative. She has played with the Berks Sinfonietta since its inception in 2014, and is a long-time member of the Reading Pops Orchestra, Trio Jolie, and The Silverwood Trio. She can also be found as a regular substitute for musical productions at the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster, PA. In 2019 she co-founded the piano/oboe duo, Double Keyed, with award-winning singer/songwriter Frances Drost.
In 2022, Double Keyed released their first album, Midwinter’s Gift, which was recorded and produced in Nashville, TN. Midwinter’s Gift features commissioned arrangements by composer Phillip Keveren who is best known for his work with the Hal Leonard publishing company and his most recent collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, which is featured on his latest album, Sojourner. Only 10 days after Midwinter’s Gift was released it charted on Billboard’s Classical-Crossover Chart at #13. In January of 2023 it was nominated by the Central Pennsylvania Music Hall of Fame for Instrumental Album of the Year and in March 2023 won their category of Best Classical/Crossover Album.
