Biography

Linda Strommen is professor of music in oboe at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She has also been a guest faculty member at The Juilliard School for the past 20 years and is a faculty member with Interlochen Arts Camp and the New York String Orchestra Seminar.

A former member of the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera orchestras, she has held principal and assistant principal positions with the Milwaukee, Honolulu, New Haven, Wichita, and Baton Rouge symphonies and acting principal oboe positions with the Rochester Philharmonic and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In addition to being a former member of the Timm and Lieurance woodwind quintets, she has been a regular participant in summer festivals such as the Marlboro, Bellingham, Bard, and Masterworks festivals.

Former Strommen students have held or currently hold positions with The Metropolitan Opera Company, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Jerusalem Philharmonic, Mexico City Philharmonic, Grand Rapids Symphony, Spokane Symphony, Wichita Symphony, Wichita State University, New Haven Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Canton Symphony, Atlanta Opera, Birmingham Symphony, Portland Opera, United States Army Field Band, United States Navy Band, Juilliard Pre-College faculty, and other orchestral and teaching positions.

Strommen has commissioned and performed numerous works, including two concerti by Eric Ewazen, “Down a River of Time” and “Hold Fast Your Dreams.” Her recording of the first concerto with the International Sejong Soloists, Sejong Plays Ewazen, can be found on Albany records.

A devoted teacher and clinician, Strommen is a former professor of oboe at Louisiana State University and Wichita State University. Her past positions also include oboe instructor at Mannes College of Music, Juilliard Pre-College, State University of New York at Purchase, and University of Hawaii, and adjunct faculty at Yale University. For many years, she was on the summer faculties of Le Domain Forget Music and Dance Academy, and the John Mack Oboe Camp.

She has recorded on the Telarc, Deutche Gramophone, Sony, Summit, and Albany labels, and serves on the advisory committee of the Alexander Schneider Concert/New York String Orchestra Seminar.

Strommen attended the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was a pupil of John Mack. The institute presented her with its 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award in May 2019. She also studied with Ray Still, Richard Woodhams, Robert Bloom, and Stephen Colburn.