Nancy Ambrose King, oboe, is the first- prize winner of the Third New York International Competition for Solo Oboists, held in 1995. Originally from the Detroit area, she has appeared as soloist with the New York string Orchestra at carnegie hall, as well as with sinfonia da camera, conducted by Ian Hobson, and the Champaign-Urbana Symphony with conductor Catherine Comet. She was a finalist in the 1984 Gernand Gillet Oboe competition, held in Graz, Austria and has also been heard as soloist on NPR's "Performance Today". Ms. King was a geatured guest artist at the 25th Anniversary Convention of the International Double Reed Society in Tallahassee, Fl in 1996. In addition to her current position as professor of oboe at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, she is principal oboist of Sinfonia da Camera.

A graduate of the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Music degree, Ms. King was the recipient of the school's prestigious Stanley Medal. She received her Master of Music and Performer's Certificate from the Eastman School of Music, where her doctoral studies will soon be completed. Her teachers have included Richard Killmer, Harry Sargous, and Arno Mariotto. She has recorded with Wynton Marsalis and the Eastman Wind Ensemble on CBS Masterworks, as well as on the Arabesque label. Ms. King lives in Champaign with her husband Bill, a clarinetist, and their two sons.