Oboe
Chengwen Winnie Lai has been a member of the Seattle Symphony since 2012. Born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Lai started playing oboe in elementary school, traveling to the U.S. in high school to study at the Idyllwild Arts Academy. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master of Music from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Elaine Douvas and John Mack. She has performed with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the IRIS Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera and has toured with the Metropolitan Opera to Japan. As an avid chamber musician, she has performed with the Seattle Chamber Music Society, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for its family concert series, Bargemusic and Marlboro Music Festival. Lai has taught at the Bennington Chamber Music Conference in Vermont, Youth Orchestra of CYCNY in New York, Idyllwild Arts Academy Summer Program in California and served as the teaching artist at the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. She has also been on the faculty of the National Youth Orchestra of China. As a recording musician, she performed the Sonata for Oboe and Piano on James Cohn’s album, A Grecian Festival. Lai is an official Yamaha Artist.
