Dr. Shelley Heron

Biography

Shelley Heron brings a wealth of experience to Western University’s Faculty of Music. A decades-long member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s oboe section, Shelley has been fortunate to work alongside and learn from top orchestral musicians, international soloists, and preeminent conductors. With a thorough knowledge of performance practice, she has designed an effective and successful systematic approach to audition preparation. Shelley has participated in over forty recordings with the DSO and Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, across labels including Chandos, Naxos, and DSO Live, and has toured the United States, Europe, and Japan on numerous occasions. Additionally, she has developed and currently teaches a method for reed making that is practiced by oboists. Among her diverse experiences, Shelley enjoys repairing oboes and English horns, acquiring the precision machinery knowledge necessary to grind gouger blades and to set up oboe/English horn gouging machines. With extensive experience working with students of all ages and abilities through private lessons, master classes, and sectionals, she has conducted classes at Glenn Gould School of Music, Interlochen Arts Camp, Western Michigan University, and Michigan State University. Shelley co-founded and organized the AVANTI Summer MusicFest, a week-long workshop in Metro Detroit for students aged 13-18, coached by musicians of the Detroit Symphony. For over a decade, she has collaborated with Sarnia high school music teachers, resulting in 400 students attending a summer music camp. Her formative oboe teachers were Richard Killmer from the Eastman School of Music, John Mack from the Cleveland Orchestra, and Jonathan Dlouhy from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Research Interests