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OBOE

ANNA VELZO

The Raul J. Rivas Memorial Chair

 

 

As a young oboe player growing up in Seattle, Washington, Anna played Principal Oboe and English Horn with the Seattle Youth Symphony, Philharmonia Northwest and Seattle Performing Arts Chamber Ensembles for several years. At age 16, Anna won the Seattle Philharmonic 1999 Honors Concerto Competition and at age 18 accepted a full scholarship to attend the Manhattan School of Music where she studied with Joseph Robinson.

OBOE

Anna Velzo

The Raul J. Rivas Memorial Chair

Anna Velzo is a performing and recording artist (oboe and English horn), who regularly collaborates with many world renowned artists, across many genres, and around the world. Her first love is classical, and as an active freelancer, she performs with groups such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, and in the pit at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL. She is currently the Oboist with the International Chamber Artists. Anna has performed for audiences abroad in historical venues in such locations as Brazil, the United Kingdom, and France. She was Soloist, as well as performing oboe and English horn, in the St Barth Music Festival in the French West Indies. Anna has also performed in orchestras accompanying celebrated artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Andrea Bocelli. In September 2010, she released her album Escale, which is a journey of music spanning from works by Bach and Saint Saens, to Anna’s arrangements of Philip Glass, and Yann Teirsen. While studying in New York City, at the Manhattan School of Music, she founded and led the world music group, Anna and the Post Road Band, which was the beginning of her professional performances outside of the classical music genre, and since then has performed and recorded with artists in genres that include country, hip hop, metal, electronic, indie-rock, jazz, and blues.

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In addition to being a performing artist, Anna has a passion for teaching and educational outreach. She was an adjunct oboe professor at DePaul University School of Music from 2017 to 2023. She currently teaches private lessons in Chicago and La Grange, IL.

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    "As a musician, there's nothing quite like the energy and vulnerability that occurs in an intimate chamber music setting."

Anna Velzo, oboe

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