Amy Collins has served as adjunct professor of oboe at The University of South Florida since 2002, where she leads a diverse and active career as a performer and educator.  In addition to teaching applied oboe, she is the founder and director of the USF Da’ “Bull” Reed Summer Camp, now entering it’s 19th year at USF.

 

In the summer of 2019, Collins hosted the International Double Reed Society (IDRS) at The University of South Florida.  This respected week-long conference had over 1500 double reedists from all over the world gather together on the campus of USF to perform, give master classes, shop at over 75 companies exhibiting, or to merely attend and learn.

 

Collins has received several grants including our very own Creative Pinellas which allowed her to purchase an oboe d’amore.

 

Collins earned a master's degree from The University of Florida in conjunction with The University of South Florida, as well as her Undergraduate degree from The University of South Florida.  Her primary teachers include Robert Mayer; retired English hornist from the Chicago Symphony and John Mack; retired principal oboe from the Cleveland Orchestra. 

 

As both performer and educator, Collins has appeared throughout the United States and internationally in Europe.  She performs regularly with a myriad of ensembles in the Tampa Bay area including Principal oboist in both Opera Tampa as well as The Venice Symphony and numerous touring broadway productions.  Collins has played with The New York City Opera Company, Miami City Ballet Company, Joffrey Ballet, The Moisiev Ballet, Mannheim Steamroller, Cirque de Sole, and with such greats as Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross, Josh Groban, Lindsey Stirling, and Evanescence to name a few.

 

Collins spends her summers on the faculty of The Governors School for the Arts in Tennessee and several summer music festivals throughout Europe.  She was honored in the Fall of 2007 to perform for Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, where she made history as being the first instrumentalist to perform in the Basilica of St. Peters since Pope John Paul I.   Collins is president of her own business; The Stellar Corporation, Inc. dba Stellar Oboe Products.  In 2017, The Stellar Corporation, Inc. (www.oboe.net) celebrated twenty years in business.