Shawn Welk is the Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Oklahoma and Principal Oboe of the Williamsburg Symphony in Williamsburg, Virginia. Before his appointment at OU, Mr. Welk served fourteen years as Associate Principal Oboe and Principal English Horn of the Richmond Symphony in Richmond, Virginia and seven years as Co-Principal Oboe of the “President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band and Marine Chamber Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
During his years with the “President’s Own,” Mr. Welk performed concerts in the White House, Washington D.C. metro area, overseas, and across the United States as concerto soloist, tour soloist, chamber player, and principal musician. His solo appearances with the band and chamber orchestra included performances of John Harbison’s Concerto for Oboe, Clarinet and Strings, Frank Martin’s Trois Danses for Oboe, Harp and Strings, Jules Demersseman's William Tell Fantasy, and Samuel Barber's Capricorn Concerto. In 2003 he performed J.S. Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin at the White House for President George H. W. Bush and visiting heads of state.
With the Richmond Symphony, Mr. Welk served as soloist, chamber musician, and educational program leader, designing innovative music education shows for elementary and middle school students, commissioning new chamber works, and arranging music for the Richmond Symphony Woodwind Quartet. In 2015 he performed on the RSO Masterworks series as English horn soloist in The Swan of Tuonela by Jean Sibelius.
In the summer of 2008, he was appointed Principal Oboist of the New York Symphonic Ensemble, performing annual summer concert tours across Japan and in 2016 was appointed Principal Oboist of the New Hampshire Music Festival in Plymouth, NH. For the 2013–14 season, he served as Acting Principal Oboe of The Florida Orchestra in Tampa, FL. Mr. Welk has also performed with the Baltimore Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Kennedy Center Opera, Tulsa Philharmonic, Aspen Festival Orchestra, and the Staunton Music Festival. An active chamber musician, Mr. Welk is a core member of D.C.’s acclaimed Fessenden Ensemble and executive director of Richmond’s innovative and award-winning Atlantic Chamber Ensemble.
A passionate educator, Mr. Welk has served on the faculties of the Virginia Commonwealth University, the Catholic University of America, and the University of Richmond. He has presented masterclasses and recitals in Japan, China, and across the United States, and he holds performance degrees from the University of Oklahoma and the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music. In 2016, Mr. Welk began a Doctor of Music degree at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.
