Professor Leah Forsyth currently  serves as Associate Professor of Oboe at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA.  NSU boasts a fantastic and thriving School of Creative and Performing Arts.  There are great scholarships available to both undergraduate and graduate students in Music Performance, Music Education and Music Business.  Please contact the NSU Oboe studio at forsythl@nsula.edu and please click on the links below to follow us on social media.  We have a lot of FUN!

Meet our Guest Artist! - Luis Gallo Quintero, oboe

Dr. Luis Gallo Quintero serves as Assistant Professor of Oboe in the Hayes School of Music.  An active performer and teacher, he looks forward to contributing to the musical community at the Hayes School of Music and the broader Appalachian State University community.

He has performed with ensembles including the Naples Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, and Tallahassee Symphony, and has appeared at international venues such as the Elbphilharmonie, Concertgebouw, and Wiener Konzerthaus. He has also recently performed with the Binghamton Philharmonic.

An active chamber musician, Dr. Gallo is the oboist of the Civitasolis Reed Quintet, a prizewinner of the 2021 Coltman Chamber Music Competition, and is dedicated to expanding the reed quintet repertoire. He also performs with the Ithaca Winds.

Originally from Colombia, he is committed to student-centered, creative, and engaging teaching practices that encourage students of all disciplines to engage deeply with music. He holds Doctor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Florida State University, and Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Science degrees from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He formerly served as the Assistant Professor of Oboe at Ithaca College.

Oboists and bassoonists of all levels are welcome to join us for a fun afternoon of Masterclasses, reed discussions, shopping, instrument repair, and a guest artist and NSU double reed faculty recital.

All events will be held at the Northwestern State University Dear School of Creative and Performing Arts in Natchitoches, LA. Registration is $25.

Please visit our website to find out more information about your hosts, Professor Leah Forsyth and Dr. Douglas Bakenhus, as well as more about Music at the School of Creative & Performing Arts at Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana… nsula.edu/music.

A glimpse at Double Reed Day 2026!