Dr. Kristin Leitterman is a solo artist of oboe and voice who defies convention by bringing exciting and unusual programs to audiences. She has commissioned and performed works for oboe and voice by Michael-Thomas Foumai, Jason Coleman, Whitney George, and Lyle Davidson, appearing in major venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall and Jordan Hall, as well as in Spain, Brazil, and Canada. She was awarded the American Prize in Instrumental Performance in 2024. Currently Associate Professor of Oboe, Assistant Chair, and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Music at Arkansas State University, Dr. Leitterman teaches oboe, bassoon, and double reed techniques, coaches chamber ensembles, and coordinates the woodwind area. She also directs the long-running Lucarelli Oboe Master Class, now celebrating its 30th year, a weeklong immersive workshop founded by her longtime mentor Humbert Lucarelli. A sought-after guest artist, she has presented master classes at institutions such as the Manhattan School of Music, New York University, and the Hartt School, and in 2024 was a featured performer and faculty member at the Festival Internacional Música de Campina Grande (FIMUS) in Brazil. Dr. Leitterman is also an active scholar and author. Her book, Relax and Take a Deep Breath: The Lucarelli Approach to Oboe Playing (Carl Fischer), emerged from years of observing Lucarelli teach and from a series of in-depth interviews with the renowned oboist. Her first publication with Carl Fischer, Gustave Vogt’s Musical Album of Autographs, is a collection of oboe works discovered in Vogt’s 19th-century autograph album, made available in modern edition for the first time. A leading authority on composer Mary Chandler, Dr. Leitterman’s editions of Chandler’s works—many previously unpublished—are released through Clifton Edition. She has also presented research on Chandler, Marie de Grandval, and Gustave Vogt at The Juilliard School, the Music by Women Festival, the International Double Reed Society (IDRS), and the Associação Brasileira de Palhetas Duplas in João Pessoa, Brazil. She currently serves as President of the IDRS Midsouth Regional Chapter.
Dr. Leitterman holds degrees from the City University of New York Graduate Center, the Hartt School (University of Hartford), the New England Conservatory of Music, and the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory. In addition to her work with Humbert Lucarelli, her teachers include Mark McEwen, Barbara Bishop, and Amy Burton (voice).