Jennifer Ownby, owner and oboe & English horn reedmaker
I have about 20 years of experience making oboe reeds, and it's something I enjoy tremendously. This is my full-time job! I received my Bachelor of Music from the University of Tennessee, where I studied with Phylis Secrist, principal oboe of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. I have a Master of Music in Oboe from the University of Northern Colorado, where I studied with Peter Cooper, who is principal oboe of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and now teaches at the University of Colorado at Boulder. From 2004 through late 2010, I was an active freelance musician and teacher throughout Colorado. In December 2010, I relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, to be closer to my family. I am enjoying an active freelance and teaching career here in Tennessee, so far having performed with the Oak Ridge and Knoxville Symphony Orchestras and the East Tennessee Concert Band.
When I’m not at the reed desk, I am volunteering in the office of the Oak Ridge Symphony, out running, or practicing yoga.
Sarah Bierhaus, high altitude oboe reedmaker
Sarah Mellander Bierhaus, oboe/English horn, was born and raised in upstate New York. Ms. Bierhaus is the principal oboist of the Boulder Philharmonic and Fort Collins Symphony Orchestras and plays second oboe and English horn in the Central City Opera orchestra. Her extensive orchestral experience has also included performances with the Colorado Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Greeley Philharmonic, Binghamton Philharmonic, and Cayuga Chamber orchestras. As a member of the Antero Winds (formerly Arundo Winds), winners of the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and silver medalists at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, Ms. Bierhaus has performed recitals and educational outreach events across the nation. She has also appeared as a soloist with the Finger Lakes Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Carleton College orchestra, and the CU Boulder Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Bierhaus received her B.A. in Music from Carleton College, where she graduated magna cum laude and with honors in musical performance. She holds her M.M. in Oboe Performance from the Eastman School of Music and her Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she received honorable mention in the 2006 Honors Competition. While still a student, Ms. Bierhaus participated in summer festivals at the Brevard Music Center, Round Top, and the National Repertory Orchestra. Her teachers have included Peter Cooper, Richard Killmer, Merilee Klemp, Andreas Lorenz, Laura Griffiths, and Cindy Watson. She currently maintains an active private teaching studio and teaches at Regis University.