Dr. Darlene Franz enjoys an active freelance career, appearing as a soloist, chamber music collaborator, and orchestral musician throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. She is a sought-after performer on both modern and historical oboes, and has played with Seattle Baroque, Seattle Pro Musica, the Northwest Sinfonietta, Pacific Baroque Orchestra (Vancouver, B. C.), California Bach Society, and the Seattle Bach Choir among many other groups. In 2018 she gave the West Coast premiere of Joseph Pollard White's Concerto for oboe d'amore and orchestra with the Thalia Symphony. Recent performances include appearances as Baroque oboist with San Francisco Choral Society in Bach's Christmas Oratorio, with Seattle Baroque in a program of French music on New Year's Eve at St. James Cathedral, Seattle, and on modern oboe as a soloist at Seattle First Baptist Church.
A respected educator, Dr. Franz maintains a large private teaching studio in Seattle and on Mercer Island, and is a frequent adjudicator and coach, most recently for Seattle Youth Symphony's Endangered Instruments Program, and for Vivace Chamber Players. Her students have placed first in the oboe/English horn category of the WMEA State Solo & Ensemble Festival for four of the past six years. As a member of the Philharmonic Wind Quintet from 1998–2015, she introduced the sound of the oboe to over 200,000 elementary school students throughout Western Washington.
**Special note to oboists and families affected by school closures March/April 2020: I have extensive experience guiding students from a wide range of ages (8-80) and ability levels toward greater mastery of the oboe, ease in performing, and application of music problem-solving skills and practice strategies to a wider range of life circumstances. My approach is tailored to the unique needs of each student. For the duration of school closures, I’ll be implementing a series of weekly listening, technical, musical, and “wacky oboe-lympics” challenges to engage and motivate student participation. I believe music practice and learning can be a vital way to develop resilience and creativity and foster connectedness, as well as just simply keeping our spirits up. Playing a musical instrument increases confidence and reduces stress. Now is a great time to begin lessons!**
