PlayOboe.com was created by Dr. Kari Kistler in 2017. Dr. Kistler saw a great need to disseminate proper oboe knowledge to the greater student and band director community. PlayOboe.com was created to be a one-stop website where students, directors, and oboists can find information they need, from the most basic on up. Playoboe.com aims to bring all viewers the best, and most current, information regarding oboe instruction.
Dr. Kistler has established herself as one of the leading oboe performers and teachers in the Southeast. She currently holds the position of Second Oboe/Principal English Horn with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. She actively performs in the region, as well as maintaining an active teaching studio. Dr. Kistler is Oboe Professor at Charleston Southern University, and also teaches local high school and middle school students. Her students have attended prestigious summer camps, such as Interlochen Arts Camp and the John Mack Oboe Camp, participated in the South Carolina All-State Orchestra, and performed as Principal and Second Oboe in the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Dr. Kistler began her oboe studies at the age of 14 in Reston, Virginia. Her high school teacher was Carol Stephenson, then Assistant Principal Oboe of the National Symphony. Dr. Kistler quickly became one of the leading high school oboists in the region, joining the American Youth Philharmonic as Assistant Principal Oboe, and performing in the Virginia All-State Band. She attended the Florida State University College of Music for her undergraduate degree, where she earned a Bachelor of Music summa cum laude under the tutelage of Dr. Eric Ohlsson. She subsequently earned her Masters of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with the inimitable John Mack. After two years of freelancing in the Washington, DC area, she returned to school in Boston, earning a Performance Diploma from Boston University while studying with John Ferrillo, Principal Oboe of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. While in Boston she also studied the English horn with Robert Sheena, Principal English horn of the Boston Symphony. Dr. Kistler maintains professional relationships with both Mr. Ferrillo and Mr. Sheena, who continue to serve as her mentors.
Upon completion of her Performance Diploma as Woodwind Player of the Year, Dr. Kistler returned to Florida State University to pursue a Doctor of Music degree. She completed her coursework in two years, leaving in 2009 to begin a fellowship with the prestigious New World Symphony (NWS) under the leadership of Michael Tilson Thomas. She completed her Doctor of Music degree while at NWS, graduating in 2010 after writing a treatise on the Setup, Maintenance, and Use of the HDR Gouging Machine. During her time at NWS, Dr. Kistler performed under the baton of many great conductors, including Tilson Thomas, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Susanna Mälkki, Peter Oundjian, David Robertson, Mark Wigglesworth, and many others. In October of 2011, Dr. Kistler won her position with the Charleston Symphony, and moved to Charleston in 2012. Since living in Charleston, she has performed with the New York Philharmonic after being named an English horn audition finalist.
Degrees:
Doctor of Music, Florida State University
Performance Diploma, Boston University
Master of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music
Bachelor of Music, Florida State University (summa cum laude)
Degree Teachers:
John Ferrillo, John Mack, Dr. Eric Ohlsson
Festivals attended:
Tanglewood Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, Aspen Music Festival, Brevard Music Festival, AIMS, Bowdoin Music Festival, Domaine Forget, John Mack Oboe Camp
Festival Teachers Include:
Elaine Douvas, Robert Sheena, Linda Strommen, Cynthia deAlmeida, David Weiss, Nancy Ambrose King
Teaching Experience:
Charleston Southern University, Oboe Professor
New England Music Camp, Oboe teacher
Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Oboe Workshop teaching assistant
Private Studios in Charleston, Miami, and Boston