Oboist and composer Laura Adkins has been an advocate of contemporary music for much of her professional career. She has over 15 years of teaching experience, much of it teaching beginning and intermediate students. In recent years, she completed a composition residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada) and attended the Darmstadt New Music Festival (Germany), which included intensive study with Peter Veale. Laura completed both her bachelor's and master's degrees at DePaul University in Chicago, and has done additional study with Christopher Redgate. As a freelancer in the Chicago area, Laura has performed with many local ensembles including the Chicago Composers Orchestra and Ensemble Dal Niente, and at such venues as Symphony Center, The Green Mill, and a number of other storefront venues, bookstores, coffee shops, and hidden gems around the city. See Laura's full bio at lauraadkinsmusic.com.