Jaren Atherholt

About Jaren

Jaren Atherholt is Assistant Professor of Oboe at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the newly appointed principal oboist of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. She previously served as principal oboist of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for 11 seasons. A native of Alaska, Atherholt has performed as guest principal oboist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, and International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico, as well as guest associate principal oboist with the Pittsburgh and Atlanta Symphonies. Atherholt spent four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival and currently performs each summer with the Grand Teton Music Festival. She has served on the faculty of John Mack Oboe Camp, Interlochen Arts Camp, the Wintergreen Music Academy, and the Vianden International Music School.

The training and development of an individualized daily practice grounded in fundamentals that is effective, efficient, sustainable, and most importantly nurtures curiosity and a love of music inspires personal and artistic confidence, pride, and ultimately joy in the craft. Consistent hard work is at the heart of my teaching philosophy. Practice makes purpose, and I model sustained daily practice in my own creative and pedagogical life, facilitating growth and self-discovery for my students through observation and in-the-field experience. Individually responsive instruction is fundamental to this philosophy; therefore, as an educator I cultivate a space where students can safely develop an objective perspective of their strengths and weaknesses, value their voice, and see themselves thriving in the classical music industry. I nurture and support them as they develop this lens to inform who they want to be as artists and change agents in the world. “Do your practice and all is coming.” - Sri K. Pattabhi Jois