Laura Griffiths

Laura Griffiths is principal oboe of San Francisco Ballet Orchestra and professor of oboe at San José State University. Previously, she was principal oboe of the Cleveland Orchestra and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Her other former positions include acting associate principal oboe of the San Francisco Symphony and acting principal oboe of the San Francisco Opera. 

She has been a frequent guest principal oboe for several major orchestras over the years, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. She also acted as associate principal oboe with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for their 2016 European tour. 

Laura has been a concerto soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and the New Century Chamber Orchestra. 

Ms. Griffiths has been principal oboe in many summer music festival orchestras, including Grant Park, Mainly Mozart, Britt, Music in the Mountains, and Midsummer Mozart, of which she has been a member for 20 seasons. She has also participated in the chamber music festivals of Napa and La Jolla for several summers. 

Laura is a founding member of STROBE, a chamber group consisting of an oboe and string trio, which is dedicated to promoting new works for the ensemble. STROBE has performed all over the Bay Area for the past 10 years, including a recital at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Presently, they have new works by four different composers and have just released a recording. 

Laura is a dedicated teacher of oboe and chamber music. She was on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music for several years as a chamber music coach. During her time in The Cleveland Orchestra, she was a teacher at Oberlin Conservatory. Here in the Bay Area, she teaches at San José State University. She is also a frequent woodwind coach at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. 

Laura was a student of Richard Killmer at the Eastman School of Music, where she graduated with honors.