Photo by Jeremy Ferland

Michelle Feng joined the Victoria Symphony as Principal Oboe in 2024. Raised in Vancouver, BC, her “authoritative, soulful” playing has enraptured audiences across the globe (Your Observer News, 2015). She formerly held the position of Associate Principal Oboe of the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra. In 2023 she was invited to spend half a year in New Zealand as Guest Principal Cor Anglais of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, where she was featured as a soloist in Copland’s Quiet City. Michelle has also been a soloist with a number of other ensembles including the Victoria Symphony, the Colburn Orchestra, and the Sarasota Music Festival Orchestra. Michelle has frequently appeared as Guest Principal Oboe with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and has performed chamber music with the Ad Mare Wind Quintet, the Banff Festival Orchestra, and Chamber Music Hawaii.

In addition to a busy orchestral career, Michelle is on faculty at the University of Victoria. She also maintains a private studio for students of all ages. As a teacher, Michelle provides a welcoming experience for students of all backgrounds. In addition to a wealth of performance expertise, she offers insights on performance psychology and musician wellness. Michelle is committed to music outreach and has performed as an actor-musician in a number of educational shows for children, most recently “Baba Yaga and the MAGIC Gallery” with the Vancouver Island Symphony.

Other recent projects include a collaboration with the Canadian publisher, Éditions Plamondon, on a series of arrangements for the oboe and English horn that will be released in 2024 and 2025.

Michelle is a graduate of the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles where she studied with Allan Vogel. She lives in Victoria with her husband, Malcolm, and her cat Finland. When not performing or teaching, she can be found gardening, birding, or knitting.