Ian Wisekal
Ian Wisekal
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My Teaching Philosophy
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Music is a lifelong journey. I encourage exploration and creativity, grounded in solid fundamentals. The oboe studio is a place of honesty and support: we discuss and hone ideas, we make reeds together, and we help each other out.
My students study repertoire from the 17th to 21st centuries, always guided by appropriate style and performance practices. I'm happy to help select music, but students also have the freedom to discover pieces on their own.
Lamont offers a weekly reed class, and I always make sure to spend time in lessons perfecting this skill.
With my broad experience in music - as a full-time orchestral musician, freelancer, administrator, and teacher at all levels, on multiple instruments and in multiple languages - I prepare my students for the demands of a 21st-century career. -
My Background
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Ian Wisekal, a native of Dallas, TX and Stony Brook, NY, joined the faculty of the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music in 2013. He serves as Principal Oboe of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and Crested Butte Music Festival, and previously held the position of Associate Principal Oboe with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. He can be heard playing principal oboe on that orchestra’s recording of Cofresí, which was nominated for a Latin Grammy.Prof. Wisekal is an active performer throughout Colorado and beyond. He plays frequently with the Colorado Symphony and professional ensembles across the state. He has performed at the Sarasota Music Festival, the Banff Centre in Canada, the Music Masters Festival of Japan, the Casals Festival of Puerto Rico and the AIMS festival in Austria. Besides his album with the PRSO, he has made recordings with the Colorado Symphony, as soloist with the Lamont Symphony Orchestra, and in the performance studio of Colorado Public Radio.Wisekal received his bachelor’s degree with high distinction from the Eastman School of Music and his master’s degree from Southern Methodist University, earning full scholarships at both institutions. In 2012, he traveled to study with David Walter at the Paris Conservatory, thanks to a grant from the Pro-Symphony Association of Puerto Rico. His major teachers include Richard Killmer, Erin Hannigan, Terry Keevil and Ceci Lagarenné.Ian has given masterclasses throughout the U.S. and abroad, appearing most recently as guest artist at Baylor University, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, the University of Oklahoma and the week-long Oboe Workshop at the University of Costa Rica. His students have earned scholarships to top music schools, including Eastman, and have performed as soloists and regular members of professional orchestras.
In his spare time, Wisekal enjoys traveling, hiking, and photography. Other than the "Media" selections at the top of this page, you can hear his recordings of the 40 Barret Melodies, Ferling Studies and more on his YouTube channel. -
Long-Term Projects
Building Repertoire for Oboe, Clarinet and Piano
2017: Transcribed Schilflieder, by August Klughardt
2019: Co-commissioned A Few Figs From Thistles, by Loren Loiacono, with Lamont School of Music
2020: Transcribed The Shepherd on the Rock, by Franz Schubert
2022: Commissioned Divine Cloud that We Share from Leanna Kirchoff for performance at IDRS
Miscellaneous
-Oboe Thing of the Week Facebook page
-Building content for YouTube channel (Barret 40 Melodies, Ferling 48 Studies, etc.)
-Commissioning piano accompaniments for Ferling studies
-Transcribed Francis Poulenc's Nocturnes for oboe and piano
-Creating and teaching two new courses at Lamont:
Introduction to Baroque Performance Practice (offered starting winter 2023)
Introduction to Classical & Romantic Performance Practice (in process)
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Upcoming Events
Lamont Summer Academy
Recitals, Chamber Music, Masterclasses, etc.
University of Denver
June 19-July 2International Double Reed Society (IDRS) Conference
Two featured chamber recitals & two orchestral performances
University of Colorado Boulder
July 26-30Metropolitan Choral Festival
Beethoven, Mozart, etc.
Bethany Lutheran Church, Cherry Hills
Aug. 27, 7:00pm
Ensemble Charité with Michelle De Young
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Broomfield Auditorium
Sept. 20, 7:00pm
Lamont Faculty Recital
Dvořák Serenade, Wind octets, etc.
University of Denver: Hamilton Recital Hall
Sept. 25, 1:30pm
Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra
Mendelssohn: Italian Symphony, Respighi: Pines of Rome, etc.
Union Colony Civic Center, Greeley
Oct. 15, 7:00pm