Double Reed Day

Faculty and Guest Artists

William McMullen, oboe

William McMullen, professor of oboe at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, is principal oboe with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and the oboist in the Moran Woodwind Quintet. His CD, “Duos for Flute and Oboe” was released in 2005 by Centaur Records and his CD “Twentieth-Century British Music for Oboe and Piano” with pianist Catherine Herbener was released in 2002 by Crystal Records with works by Bennett, Howells, Jacob, Berkeley and Rubbra. McMullen has appeared as a soloist with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra in performances of the Strauss, Mozart and Vaughan-Williams concertos. He has performed at IDRS conventions in Ohio, Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin, Utah, the Netherlands, Australia and Banff. His text “Solistic English Horn Literature” was published by Pendragon Press of NY, as a part of the Juilliard Performance Guides series. As a member of the Moran Woodwind Quintet he has toured extensively throughout the Midwest. The quintet has recorded four CD’s on Crystal Records; “Postcards From the Center” and three CD’s of the music of Theodor Blumer.

James Compton, bassoon

A native of Long Beach California, James discovered the bassoon in the seventh grade. He received a Bachelors of Music from the University of Southern California and also studied at The Juilliard School in New York City. Prior to joining the Omaha Symphony, James was the Principal Bassoonist for the Oklahoma Symphony. As Principal Bassoonist of the Omaha Symphony James has been a featured soloist on several occasions. Jim is currently on the faculties of University of Nebraska and the University of Nebraska-Omaha and is also a founding member of the group Bassoons across Nebraska.

Lindsay Wiley, oboe

Lindsay Wiley recently won the English horn position with Des Moines Symphony Orchestra and holds English horn and second oboe positions with the Wichita (KS), South Bend (IN), and Lincoln (NE) Symphony Orchestras. She has substituted with many orchestras in Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, and Iowa, as well as previously being a member in the Fayetteville (NC) and Black Hills (SD) Symphony. For the past two summers, she’s been the oboe/English horn for multiple musical productions with Music Theater Wichita, including The Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast, Ragtime, and Cats. In addition to performing, Lindsay is dedicated to teaching and outreach programs. Previously, she was a member of the oboe faculty for The People’s Music School of Chicago and served as a member of Artistcorps, an arts-based outreach program of Americorps based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is currently on faculty at the Omaha Conservatory of Music and has maintained a small private studio while in Winston-Salem, Chicago, and now Omaha. Her students have participated in the summer programs National Take a Stand Festival and NYO, won positions in Chicago, Omaha Area, and Winston-Salem Youth Symphonies, and have gone on to attend University of North Carolina School of the Arts, DePaul University, Lawrence University, University of Texas-Austin. Lindsay holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from UNL, a Performance Artist Certificate from UNCSA, and a Performance Certificate from DePaul University. Her primary teachers include Alex Klein, Dr. Merideth Hite-Estevez, and Dr. William McMullen. In addition, she has participated in masterclasses and lessons with English hornists Carolyn Hove, Robert Walters, and Emily Brebach, and oboists Katherine Needleman, Sarah Jeffrey, Mark Ostoich, Steve Taylor, Peter Cooper, and Rebecca Henderson.

Andrea Smith, oboe

Andrea Smith is an oboist and woodwind doubler in the Omaha area. She studied oboe and saxophone at North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND where she earned her undergraduate degree. She relocated to pursue her masters degree in oboe performance from University of Nebraska at Omahain 2013. Since graduating in 2015, she has been passionate about serving the Omaha community through music education and woodwind support. Having been completely enthralled with oboe reed making in her collegiate studies, Andrea and her husband Tim started Nebraska Music Company in 2021. The company began with just Andrea‘s handmade oboe reeds and a small selection of reed making tools. Since then, Nebraska Music Company has grown to a full-service website and retail store called Valley View Music that is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Andrea also maintains a very large private lesson studio of woodwind and piano students. She has studied every woodwind instrument at a high level with notable teachers and loves the challenge and diversity in sound that the woodwind family offers. She has mentored students on many different instruments that have pursued music in higher education, high school all state and other honor band festivals, as well as middle school honor groups and local performance organizations. As a performer, she has been a substitute oboist in the Lincoln, Sioux City, and Fargo-Moorhead symphonies. She is in high demand as a pit orchestra performer on all woodwinds and has played at nearly every large or small playhouse and theater in the Omaha area. When she’s not making reeds, practicing, performing, or teaching, she enjoys playing board games with her husband Tim. As an advocate for shelter adoption, she also loves hanging out with her seven rescue animals Bindi and Bailey (dogs) and Ember, Owl, Ingrid, Jack and Opie (cats).

Karen Sandene, bassoon

An Omaha native, Karen Sandene is an active performer in the Omaha/Lincoln classical music community, playing bassoon and contrabassoon with the Omaha and Lincoln Symphony Orchestras, the Abendmusik Orchestra and the Nebraska Symphony Chamber Orchestra; she also free-lances with other area musical organizations. Karen received her Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance and Master of Education degrees from the University of Nebraska. Karen recently retired from Lincoln Public Schools, where she taught elementary school instrumental music in several Title I schools for Lincoln Public Schools. Karen has led in the creation of several chamber music groups, including the Third Chair Chamber Players and the New Music Agency (an ensemble devoted to the performance of contemporary music). Karen is the co-founder of Bassoons Across Nebraska, an organization created to highlight and promote the bassoon to audiences throughout the state. Karen is also active in the American Federation of Musicians, serving on the board of Local 463 in Lincoln, and holding the title of Secretary for the Regional Orchestra Players’ Association, an organization serving ninety member orchestras from across the nation.