About

Dr. Amy Gollins is a freelance oboist and teacher in the Chicago area. She graduated with her Doctorate in Musical arts in oboe performance from the University of Southern California, where she studied with Marion Kuszyk of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Dr. Joel Timm. Amy was the 2nd oboist with the American Youth Symphony from 2013 to 2016 where she was able to play under the baton of Alexander Traeger.

Dr. Gollins previously studied at The Boston Conservatory where she received her Masters in Music Performance and Graduate Performance Degrees while studying with Robert Sheena and Laura Ahlbeck. It was in Boston in 2011 where Amy connected with Stuart Dunkel and began assisting him with reed making and has been working for him ever since. Prior to Boston, she received her Bachelor's in Music Performance in Oboe from Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA studying with David Diggs.

Dr. Gollins has most recently performed in  master classes with Alex Klein and Carolyn Hove. Past tutelage with oboists include:  Allan Vogel, David Weiss, Elaine Douvas, Pedro Diaz, Nathan Hughes, Grover Schiltz, Maurice Borgue, Liang Wang, Keisuke Wakao,  Mark McEwen, Jacqueline Leclair, Jonathan Davis, Peter Cooper and  Bob Weiner.

Amy has been making Dunkel Reeds for 15 years and she believes that for the oboist, the reed can make playing the oboe a wonderful experience, or quite challenging at times. It is for this reason she emphasizes reed making in her teaching, as well as being able to adjust pre-made reeds. With consistent effort, anyone can improve their oboe playing and reed making!