In Fall 2019, Austin Smith was appointed Instructor of Oboe at the University of Mississippi, where he directs the oboe studio, teaches applied oboe methods, and plays with the faculty wind quintet.
As an orchestral musician, Smith is in his sixth season as principal oboe of Queen City Opera (Cincinnati). He was previously principal oboe of Opera in the Ozarks, as well as the Second Oboe/English Horn chair with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra. He has participated in summer music festivals such as the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and most recently the Maryland Wind Festival. He plays regularly with orchestras throughout the Midwest such as the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, among many others. He has also performed with touring groups such as Hanson, Iron & Wine, and Video Games Live.
As an active chamber musician, Smith and his Cincinnati-based wind quintet, the Wayside Winds, perform regularly throughout the tri-state area on recital series at the Oxford (OH) Community Arts Center, Taft Art Museum, Salon 21 Chamber Music Series, Cincinnati Art Museum’s Chamberpalooza, Classical Revolution Cincinnati, and the Price Hill Creative Community Festival. In 2014 he was a national finalist in the MTNA chamber music competition for wind quintet.
Smith is in constant demand as an oboe reed maker. Since 2009 he has made professional reeds for Innoledy, a woodwind supply company based in Manhattan, where professional oboists around the world purchase his reeds. He has given reed making masterclasses at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the Hartt School, the Lucarelli Oboe Masterclass, and the University of Mississippi.
Previous to his appointment to the University of Mississippi, Austin was Instructor of Oboe at Mount Saint Joseph University where he also played with the faculty wind quintet. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Hartt School of Music, and a Masters of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. His main teachers are Bert Lucarelli and Mark Ostoich.
