Professional Bio

Stephen Key is an Oboist, Composer, Arranger, and Pedagogue in the Washington DC Metro area. A member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Professor Key began his studies on piano and voice with his mother when he was only three. He landed on studying the oboe in the public school band program in Ada, Ok. Like many young oboists, at 11 he didn’t want to play an instrument that everyone else was playing. Ever since his first solo performance at the Kennedy Center at the age of 14, he has performed throughout the United States, Russia, and Europe as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player.

Mostly an oboist, Stephen is the Principal Oboe for the New Orchestra of Washington, and is currently adjunct Associate Professor of Oboe at Shenandoah Conservatory. In addition to concerto performances with NOW, Key arranged and performed Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin about which New York critic, Oberon’s Grove, said, “gorgeous performance… terrific, notable solos… rich, warm tone.” As a soloist, he has performed with the New Orchestra of Washington, Washington Chamber Orchestra, Washington Master Chorale, University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, and Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra.

Orchestral work includes regularly performing with the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, but he has also played with the National Symphony Orchestra, Austin Symphony (TX), Richmond Symphony (VA), Maryland Symphony, Roanoke Symphony and Opera, The Washington Chorus, Choral Arts Society of Washington, Virginia Opera, the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, and the New World Symphony. Also, he has recorded with Grammy Award-winning studio Sono Luminus, the Centaur Label, and Albany Records.

Other professional highlights include being the Principal Oboist for the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival since 2023, and joining the performance faculty for the Chamber Music Conference of the East where he holds the Patricia Stenberg Oboe Chair. Key studied at Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Texas at Austin. He has worked with Rebecca Henderson, James Caldwell, Rudolf Vrbsky, Carol Stephenson, James Moseley, Richard Killmer, Elaine Douvas, and Katherine Needleman.

Private Studio

In addition to his university engagements, Key also maintains a private studio based in northern Virginia. His students have successfully placed in the top chairs of the American Youth Philharmonic, Virginia All-State, and various summer festival orchestras. His students have been accepted to competitive undergraduate and graduate programs with scholarships at schools such as:

• Boston Conservatory (full ride)

• Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (full ride)

• Eastman School of Music

• Hartt School of Music

• Manhattan School of Music

• McGill School of Music (full ride)

• New England Conservatory

• Princeton University

• Shenandoah Conservatory

• Stanford University

• University of Michigan

• University of Maryland (full ride)

• University of Missouri - Kansas City (full ride)

• University of New Mexico (full ride)

• University of South Carolina at Greensboro

• University of Texas at Austin

• Vanderbilt University (full ride)

• Yale University