Meet Our Double Reed Fest Clinicians
Edward Ingold is a retired engineer from Abbott Laboratories, now devoted to recording audio and video of MYA concerts and others. Until recently, he played oboe for nearly 60 years, including The Lake Forest Symphony and Waukegan Symphony. Making reeds for the oboe and English horn was a major part of this endeavor. He wishes to share some tools and techniques of reed making, including sharpening knives and blades in that regard, for the benefit of oboe students and their parents.
James Kim is Principal Oboe of the Peoria Symphony Orchestra and a leading freelance oboist in the Chicago area. His performances have been praised by critics, with the Chicago Classical Review describing his playing as “mellifluous” and the Hyde Park Herald noting that his solo performance was “not only mournful but haunting.” A frequent performer with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, James toured Europe with the orchestra in 2025, performing in Amsterdam, Prague, Hamburg, Dresden, and Wrocław. A highlight of the tour was his appearance at the prestigious Mahler Festival in Amsterdam, where the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed alongside some of the world’s most distinguished orchestras. During the 2025–2026 season, James served as Assistant Principal Oboe and English Horn with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on a four-month contract. He has also appeared as Guest Principal Oboe with orchestras including the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and Illinois Symphony Orchestra. James holds a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, a Master of Music from Stony Brook University, and an Artist Diploma from Yale University. He was a finalist at the 2013 renowned Fernand Gillet–Hugo Fox International Oboe Competition.
Critically acclaimed American oboist Dr. Lisa Kozenko has performed worldwide as a concerto soloist, chamber artist, and orchestral musician. She has 18 solo oboe and chamber music commissions to her credit. Her solo recording of Doubles by Judith Zaimont was named to Chamber Music America’s Century List of recordings.
Ms. Kozenko was the principal oboist of the New York City Opera National Company and has performed with the New York Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She has served on the Bowdoin International Music Festival faculty and as an adjudicator for the 2017 Carnegie Hall New York China Orchestra and the 70th & 72nd Hong Kong Music Festival.
As a member of the Manhattan Wind Quintet, she was a finalist in the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Chamber Music Competition and prizewinner of the Coleman, Fischoff, Monterey, Yellow Springs, and Chamber Music Chicago competitions. She was a solo prize winner of the 15th Lousie D. McMahon International Music Competition and presented her New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall under the auspices of Artist International.
Dr. Kozenko is Professor of Performance Practice (Oboe) at Ball State University and former Assistant Professor of Oboe and Chamber Music at Mannes School of Music at the New School College of the Performing Arts. Dr. Kozenko is a Loreé performing artist.
Andrew Marlin has been actively freelancing throughout Chicago and can be heard playing on a variety of musical platforms throughout the city. He primarily performs with Opera Festival Chicago, Chicago Opera Productions, Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, and as a Core Artist with CHAI Collaborative Ensemble. Additionally, Andrew has been most thankful to have performed with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Las Vegas Philharmonic.
As a passionate music educator, Andrew has built up many school music programs throughout the northwest suburbs and in turn has created a full time teaching studio. His students regularly make up a large portion of the Honors Ensembles at both Illinois Music Education Association's Honors Ensembles and Illinois Music Education All-State Conference. His students have been selected to participate in fellowships with Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative and National Public Radio's From The Top Media and Lab. Most notably so, Andrew's students have continued on to some of the finest university music programs across the country earning some of the most competitive scholarships available. Some programs his students have gone on to include: Northwestern University, The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and more. Andrew joined Elmhurst University’s music faculty and is excited to see what he can accomplish teaching higher education.
Andrew is the founder and music director for his own Summer Bassoon Workshop where he introduces young bassoonists to the world of music. All the music in the workshop are his own arrangements of some of the best music written across all of time - orchestral classics, opera scenes, ballet music, film scores, and more. Most recently, Andrew was selected to give a performance and presentation at the International Double Reeds Society 2025 Conference on his workshop and the positive effects it can have on Music Education and Classical Music.
Oboist Andrew Nogal enjoys a versatile career as a multifaceted performer and educator. He is the solo oboist with Ensemble Dal Niente, Grossman Ensemble, and Earspace, as well as a member of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Wind Symphony. Additional performances include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. Nogal has appeared at The Barbican Centre, Grand théätre de Luxembourg, Bard SummerScape, Lincoln Cneter, Walt Disnday Concert Hall, NY Phil Biennial, Philadelphia Orchestra Barnes-Stokowski Festival, Southern Exposure New Music Series, Beijing Modern Festival, Ojai Festival, June in Buffalo, The Banff Centre, Huddersfield Contemproary Music Festival, Cabrillo Festival, and the Sydney Conservatorium. He holds degrees in music performance and art history from Northwestern University and has been awarded top prizes at both the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the Darmstadt Courses for New Music. He is an instructor of chamber music at Northwestern University and the Instructional Assistant Professor of Oboe at Illinois State University. Music.
Named one of 23 artists “changing the sound of classical music” by the Washington Post, Ben Roidl-Ward has been praised for his “dazzling technique” (The Sydney Morning Herald), “breathless virtuosity” (Bandcamp Daily), and “astounding flexibility and range” (The Double Reed). He is the Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Principal Bassoonist of the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Illinois Symphony, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony. A devoted performer of contemporary music, Ben is the bassoonist of Chicago’s Ensemble Dal Niente and served as a Contemporary Leader and Bassoon Coach for the Lucerne Festival from 2021-2025. Ben’s dedication to working with composers of his generation has led him to premiere over 200 compositions to date. An alum of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Ben received his DMA from Northwestern University studying with David McGill. His previous teachers include Ben Kamins (Rice University), George Sakakeeny (Oberlin Conservatory), and Francine Peterson.
Dianne Ryan is principal bassoonist with New Philharmonic, Elmhurst Symphony, Bach Cantata Vespers, and Whiting Festival Orchestra in Indiana. She has performed with many midwestern orchestras such as the Symphonies of Peoria, Southwest Michigan, South Bend, Northwest Indiana, Rockford, Illinois Symphony, and many more. In addition, Ryan has performed on pop gigs such as The Beach Boys, Moody Blues, Ray Charles, Celtic Woman, Final Fantasy, and Mel Torme. She has toured Europe and Asia with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and Chicago Symphonic Pops and has been a featured soloist with New Philharmonic and Elmhurst Symphony. She also enjoys playing in chamber ensembles, including the Chicago Bassoon Quartet.
An avid bassoon instructor, Ms. Ryan is on the faculties of VanderCook College of Music, Harper College, and Concordia University Chicago, and formerly the Merit School of Music and Elmhurst University. She frequently adjudicates concerto competitions, solo contests, and ILMEA auditions and has given many clinics and master classes for hosts that include Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Chicago Youth Orchestra, Butler Bassoon Day, Roanoke (VA) Youth Orchestra, and Bands of America.
Ms. Ryan earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in bassoon performance from Virginia Tech and Roosevelt University, followed by orchestral training with the Chicago Civic Orchestra.
Natalie Swenson is a multifaceted musician and arts administrator based in the Chicagoland area, performing on oboe and English horn throughout the United States as well as internationally. Her recent engagements include performances with the World Ballet Company, Quad City Symphony, Bach Cantata Vespers, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, among others. Passionate about new music and composition, she has participated in many world premieres and professional recordings, as well as premiered her own works.
Natalie earned her Master of Music in Oboe Performance with Departmental Honors from Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and her Bachelors from Gustavus Adolphus College, where she studied Music Composition with Honors. In addition to her performance schedule, she currently serves as President of the Chicago Wind Collective, a 501(c)(3) wind ensemble that supports emerging professional musicians, maintains a private oboe studio and reed business, teaches oboe at Schaumburg High School, and enjoys spending time with her spouse, Brad, and their two rambunctious cats, Dolly and Goose.
Preman Tilson is Principal Bassoon of Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Joffrey Ballet Orchestra, the Lyric Ensemble and Orchestra Wellington (New Zealand). He is Artist-Professor of Bassoon at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He was formerly Principal Bassoon of the Arizona Opera Company, the Memphis Symphony, the Lake Forest Symphony and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO), as well as Assistant Principal of the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony, and in New Zealand with the orchestras of Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin. He was professor of bassoon at the New Zealand School of Music. He was soloist many times with the NZSO, in works of Mozart, Weber, Elgar and Martin Lodge. He gave the world premier of the latter's Winterlight for bassoon and orchestra, and recorded Elgar's Romance for bassoon and orchestra on the Naxos label. He also gave the premiere performances of Anthony Ritchie's Rites of Passage for bassoon and string quintet, and recorded it for the Atoll label. Preman attended the University of Arizona, Boston University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook (MM). His teachers included Arthur Weisberg and Sol Schoenbach. He is also very active as an arranger, including for performances of the Joffrey Ballet and Midsummer's Music (Wisconsin). He has an extensive catalog of chamber music arrangements, including many works for bassoon and strings.