Dane Philipsen is an oboist and teacher who is passionate about honoring the traditions, techniques, and musical expression of the American school of oboe playing while allowing space for the evolution of the style through innovation, refinement, and creativity. He cultivates engaged audiences and curious students by communicating with them in meaningful, individualized ways.

As an orchestral musician, Dane is the principal oboist of the Traverse City Philharmonic in northern Michigan. Previously as the principal oboist of the Atlanta Opera, he was recognized as the company’s “sweet-toned oboist.” Recently, he has maintained guest oboe and English horn affiliations with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Orchestra Iowa as well as past affiliations with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, and others. Dane’s students benefit from the experience he has gained as an orchestral musician, both on stage and in the pit; his varied perspectives inform the technical and musical preparation they receive in the teaching studio.

Dane regularly presents recitals, master classes, and studio instruction that explore the repertoire for oboe alone, with piano, and within chamber ensembles. As a practicing and performing musician, Dane is process oriented, and he enjoys exploring both the oboe’s canon of repertoire as well as less well-known works. In the teaching studio, he empowers his students with the same curiosity and process, allowing them to develop their own repertoire and voice in ways that are meaningful to them as artists and advocates.

As a teaching artist, Dane enjoys working with oboe and reed making students who range in life experience from grade school through retirement and who may be cultivating professional careers in music, avocational excellence, and everything in between. Among all of these oboists, he recognizes a shared pursuit of rich, resonant tone and the ability to shape singing musical lines.

Please take a look around the website for more information about Dane as an oboist and teacher, and if you would like to contact Dane about a collaboration, taking a lesson, or any questions, please use the contact form.