Catharine French Bieser Chair
Eileen Whalen, oboist, has been hailed by the New York Times on multiple occasions for her “beautiful playing” and “considerable virtuosity,” and Opera Today has praised her solos as “exquisite.” She is currently the principal oboist of Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) and Glimmerglass Opera Summer Festival. She has been principal oboist of Honolulu Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and she has performed with the New Jersey, Colorado, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Jacksonville Symphonies among others. She can be heard on the latest Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra recordings, on the albums “E O Mai” and “Kamalei: Collection-Two” by renowned Hawaiian recording artist Keali’i Reichel, as well as on the movie soundtrack for Mr. Holland’s Opus. In May of 2020, Ms. Whalen will be the featured soloist with the DPO, performing the Strauss Oboe Concerto.
As principal oboist of Glimmerglass Opera Summer Festival, Ms. Whalen has performed on an Emmy-nominated PBS Great Performance broadcast. She has also recorded for Chandos Records and can be heard on NPR’s World of Opera and WDPR’s Live and Local. In 2008, she was appointed to the faculty of the University of Dayton. Ms. Whalen received a Masters of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts, a Bachelor of Music at the University of Cincinnati and did additional coursework at Rice University. Ms. Whalen studied with Allan Vogel, Sara Bloom, Peggy Pearson, and Robert Atherholt.