Aaron Lakota
Western Massachusetts native Aaron Lakota has a vested interest in the local arts culture and hopes to promote music and the arts through performance, education, and community involvement. Aaron performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player throughout New England. He regularly performs with Pioneer Valley Symphony, Eclectic Arts Trio, Valley Winds, Tundi, Juno Chamber Orchestra, and is a substitute musician with the Springfield Symphony.
Aaron is best known as a professional reed maker and educator in the oboe community. He is passionate about analyzing and understanding the reed-making process and sharing that knowledge with students of all ages and ability levels. He is in demand as a clinician at double-reed days and college events. He also shares information about oboe-related topics on his website, AaronLakota.com.
Aaron makes thousands of reeds yearly for student, amateur, and professional oboists. A.Lakota oboe reeds can be heard in concert halls throughout the United States and beyond. Aaron’s goal is to help oboists of all levels to “be happy oboe-ing” whether they make their reeds or choose to purchase them.
Aaron holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in oboe performance from the University of Massachusetts and an associate degree from Holyoke Community College. His primary mentors are Fredric T. Cohen and Tamara Field. He also studied with Kirsten Lipkens, Basil Reeve, and Michael Daves. Aaron is a lecturer of oboe at Dartmouth College and teaches from his home studio in Greenfield, MA.