Ryan Zwahlen is becoming one of Southern California's most
sought-after oboists. He has performed multiple times with
the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the batons of Zubin Mehta
and Bramwell Tovey. In December 2006 he joined the Los
Angeles Ballet for their production of the Nutcracker. He
has played with many orchestras in the region, including the
Culver City Chamber Orchestra, Riverside Philharmonic,
Bakersfield Symphony, San Bernardino Symphony, Santa Monica
Symphony, El Dorado Opera Orchestra and the Center Stage
Opera Orchestra. He currently serves as Second Oboe and
English Horn of the Southeast Symphony.
Zwahlen's passion for music is not limited to orchestral
performance.
He is deeply committed to chamber music as the Education
Director of the Definiens Project, a non-profit,
contemporary chamber music organization. Thanks largely to
his leadership, the group conducted a year-long residency at
UCLA in 2006-07. In 2007 Ryan and Co-Director and flutist,
Amy Tatum, established the LA Harmonie Ensemble, which will
be heard on Sundays Live in June 2008. Ryan's other chamber
music activities included frequent performances as a member
of the Santa Monica Woodwind Quintet during the 2005-06
season.
Despite his busy regional performance schedule, Zwahlen has
also become a fixture in performance halls around the United
States and abroad. He has performed with the Bayerische
Zwei-Groshen Opera, and won the Second Oboe position with
the International Philharmonia of the Californias. His
summer festival appearances have included performances as
Principal Oboe and English Horn with both the Hot Springs
Music Festival and the Las Vegas Music Festival.
Zwahlen's teaching experience is as varied and impressive as
his performance credentials. He has taught at both UCLA and
Citrus College in California, and he joined the faculty of
the Las Vegas Music Festival for its 2006 season. He also
believes in the importance of music education in the public
schools and has committed his time and energy to the
Children's Music Workshop of Los Angeles and to the Santa
Monica/Malibu United School District.
Ryan is a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in
Chamber Music and Oboe at UCLA. He received his Master of
Music degree from Arizona State University and his Bachelor
of Music Education degree from the University of Illinois,
Champagne-Urbana. Zwahlen's major oboe teachers have
included Marion Kuszyk, Associate Principal Oboe of the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, as well as Nancy Ambrose King, Lelie
Resnick, Rebecca Henderson, Fred Korman, Martin Schuring,
and Erik Larson. He has studied chamber music with Dr.
Jennifer Snow, Jeffrey Lyman, and Timothy McGovern. He
currently resides in West Los Angeles.
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