RACHEL AHN OBOE
Rachel Ahn is the second oboist of the North Carolina Symphony for the 2023-2024 season. She holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from The Juilliard School under Elaine Douvas, as well as a Master’s degree from the Yale School of Music. Some of her orchestral highlights include playing Principal Oboe for a week at the Seattle Symphony, being the Principal Oboist of Des Moines Metro Opera’s 2023 season, and subbing at the Metropolitan Opera. Over the summers, she has attended prestigious festivals, including Aspen Summer Music Festival and School, Summer Music Institute at Kennedy Center, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and Verbier Junior Festival. From the age of 15 she attended Juilliard Pre-College under Richard Dallessio and Yousun Chung. At age 17, Rachel won her first competition, allowing her to solo with a local high school.
At a young age, Rachel started on the piano where she suffered in lessons taught by her mother, Eunjung Ahn, Minister of Music at the Second Presbyterian Church of New York. So when it came time to choose her 4th grade band instrument, she jumped at the welcome change. Despite oboe not being on the list of approved instruments, Rachel convinced her band teacher in Northvale, New Jersey to let her try. After a minor hiccup where she received a clarinet bell in lieu of an oboe bell, followed by a week of starting the oboe with no bell, Rachel continued her musical career and has become an accomplished, persevering musician.
