---
title: Wind (Instruments) of Change
date: 2023-10-27T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/wind-instruments-of-change"
section: Articles
---
# Wind (Instruments) of Change

*October 27, 2023* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/author/karen-shih)


> New Oboe Professor Brings Accessible Approach to Classical Music

*Windsync Carlin Ma 1581 1920x1080 — Emily Tsai M.M.'13, second from right, with her chamber ensemble WindSync, is the new oboe professor at UMD's School of Music.*

She’s topped famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma on the classical *Billboard*charts, gotten a shout-out from a Washington Post critic and even recorded an upcoming album at Abbey Road Studios. Now, oboist Emily Tsai M.M. ’13 is ready to blow away students at the University of Maryland and audiences at the Kennedy Center as she embarks on a new appointment at the [School of Music](https://music.umd.edu/) along with her second season in the Washington National Opera Orchestra.

This week, she starts a busy run as the assistant principal oboe as the opera debuts its fall shows: “Grounded,” about a fighter pilot grappling with the implications of drone warfare, and the classic “Romeo and Juliet,” all while she takes the reins of UMD’s oboe program.

“It’s no secret: A career in classical music is not an easy path to take,” Tsai said. “I feel so lucky I get to do what I love every day.”

She was “shocked, honestly,” to be asked to fill the shoes of the retiring Professor Mark Hill, who has been a mentor since she was a UMD graduate student a decade ago. Though she’s been teaching since then, this is her first major university appointment.

Previously, during residencies at colleges across the country, she described it as, “you kind of dive-bomb them with knowledge, and then you’re like, ‘OK, bye!’” she said, laughing. “I’m really excited to see progress week after week, and to get to know students individually.”


*Emily Tsai with oboe — Photo by Aly Matei*




**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Music](https://today.umd.edu/topic/music), [Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/arts)


**Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)