Laura Medisky

Instructor of Oboe

Oboist Laura Medisky, D.M.A., is an active performer, educator and Alexander Technique teacher based in Madison, Wisconsin. She performs regularly with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and has held the position of acting principal oboe in both the Rockford Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. She also plays with ensembles such as the Elgin Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Fresco Opera, Capital City Theatre, Con Vivo! chamber ensemble and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.

Medisky has presented artist recitals at several International Double Reed Society conferences and has performed concertos with orchestras in Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois and Idaho. She enjoys performing new music, collaborating with composers and championing their works through various entrepreneurial projects. She was the oboist and a founding member of the wind quintet Black Marigold from 2012-2019 and she co-founded the LunART Festival in Madison in 2018, serving as a festival director for the first two seasons. Her solo album, Personalities: 21st-century American Music for Oboe, was released in 2012 on the Centaur Records label.

An engaging guest artist and clinician, Medisky presents oboe masterclasses and Alexander Technique workshops at music institutions, festivals and conferences throughout the United States. She has presented at events such as the Chicago Double Reed Fest, IDRS conferences, Beyond the Notes Music Festival and has been the oboe guest for Double Reed Days at Georgia State University, Southeast Missouri State University and Ball State University. From 2011-12 she served on the faculty for Festival Música das Esferas in Braganća Paulista, Brazil.

As an AmSAT-certified teacher of the Alexander Technique for over 25 years, Medisky integrates its philosophy of the mind-body connection into her own playing as well as her oboe pedagogy. She has an interest in the psychology of musical practice and peak performance and finds creative ways to guide students to incorporate these concepts into their oboe study. Her 2016 article in the Double Reed journal, “Oboe Dojo: Motivating Students to Practice Fundamentals,” highlights her signature approach to teaching oboe. Recognized for her creativity and innovation in studio teaching, she was a featured guest on the “Mavericks” series of the podcast Double Reed Dish.

Prior to joining the NIU music faculty, Medisky taught at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Luther College, Maranatha Baptist University and Edgewood College. She holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UCLA and Arizona State University and she earned her Alexander Technique certification from the Alexander Technique Center Urbana under the direction of Joan and Alex Murray.