Adrienne Malley

Adrienne Malley currently performs as second oboe/English horn of the acclaimed Los Angeles Chamber Orchesta and third oboe/English horn of the Marin Symphony. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she frequently performs with many other additional ensembles including the San Francisco Symphony, Symphony San Jose, New Century Chamber Orchestra, Carmel Bach Festival, and the regional symphonies of Berkeley, California, Monterey, Napa, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa. In May 2012, she was a featured soloist in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 with the San Francisco Symphony. She also previously held the position of principal oboe in the St. Peter's Chamber Orchestra. An avid chamber musician, she is a founding member of the woodwind sextet, Frequency 49, and a past member of Avenue Winds, a woodwind quintet dedicated to performing the music of local San Francisco Bay Area composers. She is also a former founding member of the Divisa Ensemble, a chamber ensemble comprised of mixed winds and string instruments.

A committed teacher, Adrienne maintains a pre-collegiate studio in Redwood City and is on faculty at Santa Clara University. She coaches young musicians in the Golden State Youth Orchestra and has presented music education performances through the Community School of Music and Arts' Music4Schools program and the San Francisco Symphony's Adventures in Music program. She also runs an oboe enrichment summer program, Left Coast Oboes, with her oboe colleague, Ryan Zwahlen.

Adrienne received her Master of Music at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and her Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music. She was awarded third prize in the MTNA Ohio Woodwind Young Artist Competition. Her principal teachers include Nancy Ambrose King, Mark Ostoich, Harry Sargous, and Shelley Heron. She has also participated in master classes and music festivals with William Bennett, Elaine Douvas, Richard Killmer, John Mack, Christopher Philpotts, Harold Smoliar, Linda Strommen, and Sherry Sylar.

All Tracks Recorded Live:

Britten: Six Metamorphoses After Ovid, Pan



Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)



Prokofiev: Classical Symphony (Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)



Nash: New York Miniatures, A Million Numbered Streets



Nash: New York Miniatures, Hustle and Bustle



Dring: Trio for flute, oboe, and piano, Mvt I (Frequency 49: Carmen Lemoine, flute and Margaret Halbig, piano)



Dring: Trio for flute, oboe, and piano, Mvt II (Frequency 49: Carmen Lemoine, flute and Margaret Halbig, piano)



Dring: Trio for flute, oboe, and piano, Mvt III (Frequency 49: Carmen Lemoine, flute and Margaret Halbig, piano)



W.F. Bach: Duo No.IV, Mvt. II (Divisa Ensemble: Tomiko Tsai, flute)



Additional (serious and silly!) recordings can be found on Instagram: Left Coast Oboes

I teach private lessons to oboists of all ages out of my studio in Redwood City. My studio tends to be quite full, but please don't hesitate to contact me for availability as well as the current rate.

Teaching Philosophy
I have experience teaching a variety of levels and ages, from the initial stages of putting the oboe together for the first time through university music entrance auditions and juries. In addition to teaching the necessary technical and musical skills, I also strive to build students' confidence, discipline, and dedication. Keeping each student’s abilities in mind, I tailor each lesson to the individual student, allowing them to reach their personal goals and maximum potential. Mutual respect between me and my students is absolutely necessary: my students must trust I have knowledge to offer, while I must respect the effort they make to master skills and recognize their ideas. Students are responsible to be prepared for lessons; participate in and take advantage of opportunities for learning; and communicate honestly with me. The basic oboe lesson structure for all levels consists of three parts--fundamentals (tone production, articulation, technique), method training (etudes/method book exercises/duets) and music (solo and ensemble repertoire). Reed making is also incorporated into lessons, both in private lessons as well as group masterclasses. As oboists know, great reeds are necessary for great oboe playing!

Required Materials
I expect you to come prepared to each and every lesson. In order for the lesson to be a successful one, please make sure you always have the following:

1. A Conservatory-style oboe, in good working condition
Unfortunately, the local music stores do not carry conservatory-style oboes. Instead, they tend to carry beginner oboes that are very difficult to play and make learning the oboe more challenging. Therefore, it's imperative to have an intermediate oboe that has a "left-hand F and a low B-flat." There are a couple of stores in the Bay Area that carry these oboes. Forrests Music in Berkeley is your best bet for high quality rentals. I particularly like the Fox 330 or the Fox 333 rental oboes. If you don't have an oboe that has these extra keys, don't be discouraged! We'll work with what you have until you can track down a better oboe. Please contact me before you purchase an oboe so I can help direct you to the best oboe for your child.

2. Reeds and Reed Case
--You must bring at least three reeds to each lesson. Your reeds must be stored in a "ribbon-style" reed case and not in the original container.
--Beginning students (or students with no prior woodwind experience) should purchase medium soft reeds. Intermediate students (or students with prior woodwind experience) should purchase medium reeds.
--I offer reeds to my students at a discounted price ($20/reed). Tubes for used reeds must be returned to me when the reed is dead so that I can reuse the materials, otherwise my rate will increase. Orders must be placed two weeks prior to the need. If you would like to look at other sources, please let me know. Do not order other reeds without consulting me first.

3. All assigned music and your music folder
I usually begin with the Gekeler Book 1, Rubank Elementary and Intermediate Method Books. As the student becomes more advanced, I will assign solo literature and more advanced technique books. Students will also be required to participate in my Oboe Dojo Training Program. All materials will be distributed to each student at the beginning of lessons. Replacement packets will incur a $20 fee.

4. Tuner and Metronome

5. Pencil and Assignment Book

6. Music stand (can remain at home)

Practicing
Learning how to play the oboe requires dedication, enthusiasm, and lots of patience! It is a challenging instrument to learn. Therefore, regular and consistent practice is required. In order to make the most of our lessons, I expect you to practice at least 5 days a week. Each practice session should be a minimum of 20-minutes for beginner students, 30-minutes for intermediate students, and 45-minutes for advanced students. Longer practice sessions are encouraged but not required.

Cancellations
48-hour notice is required if you will not be able to attend your lesson, unless you must cancel because of sudden illness or family emergency (max. of 2 per semester). If ample notice is not given, payment for the missed lesson is still expected.

Lesson Make-ups
I am happy to try and reschedule any missed lessons. Makeups will only be granted during a three-week window. I will offer the occasional Saturday morning make-up at my discretion.

Communication
Email is the quickest and easiest way to communicate with me. I also request that you check your email frequently, as I will often communicate with you through email.

Payment
I prefer to be paid electronically via Zelle, Venmo or PayPal. You may:
*Pay at the beginning of the month (if reeds are added during the course of the month, they will be added to next month's payment)
*Pay at the end of the month

I will provide monthly email invoices.

Recital
There will be one recital during the school year, date/time to be determined. Recital participation is mandatory! The recital is a great, low-key, casual, and FUN opportunity to show to family and friends how much you have learned over the year. An accompanist will be provided, and parents are expected to contribute modestly towards the fee.

Current Students: Login in HERE

malleya [at] gmail [dot] com