Robyn van Eck

Director of Bonham Conservatory, Oboe

Robyn van Eck earned her Master of Music in Oboe Performance at Meadows School of the Arts, at SMU, studying under Eric Barr.  While there, she played principal oboe in the Meadows Symphony Orchestra and Meadows Wind Ensemble, and was the first oboist in the school’s history to win the Concerto Competition, playing the Mozart Oboe Concerto.

Prior to that, Robyn earned her Bachelor of Music degree in Oboe Performance from the Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis.  During her time in Memphis, Robyn studied with Cally Banham and Joseph Salvalaggio, and played principal oboe in the U of M symphony and opera orchestras, where she was blessed to be able to play a huge amount of orchestral and other repertoire.

Robyn’s playing career includes a broad range of performances, including the New World Symphony in South Beach Miami, Fort Worth Symphony, Shreveport Symphony, and many others—even our own Sherman Symphony.  She has gotten to play for such conductors as Michael Tilson Thomas, Lorin Maazel, and Michael Stern, and played principal oboe for many symphony, opera, and other performances, including such notable-for-oboe pieces as Tchaikowsky’s 4th Symphony and Beethoven’s 7th; and a beautiful performance on 2nd Oboe of Brahms’ Haydn Variations.  In 2008, she semi-retired from the oboe to focus on her duties as a mother, and returned to playing in 2025, with the opening of Bonham Conservatory.

In addition to her performance credentials, Robyn brings know-how as a skilled pedagogue.  She has more than 25 years of experience as an educator, from her private oboe studio to teaching classes at church and homeschool groups.

Robyn and her family live happily in Honey Grove; she is delighted to bring her expertise in music performance and pedagogy to Bonham Conservatory.