Alyssa Morris is Associate Professor of Oboe and Music Theory at Kansas State University, principal oboist of the Topeka Symphony and Chamber Orchestra of the Smoky Valley, and founding member of AGLOW Trio. She has performed in venues throughout the US, Europe, Thailand, and New Zealand. She was concerto soloist at the Kennedy Center and recitalist at the 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023, and 2024 International Double Reed Conventions. Her solo albums, “A Higher Place” and « Ruminations » were hailed by American Record Guide as “gorgeous and thoughtful” and by Fanfare Magazine as « pure gold.” In AGLOW Trio’s 2023 album “The Light is the Same,” the trio was applauded by Fanfare for their “arresting unity,” giving “performances that shimmer with energy.” Alyssa is a 2021 American Prize (AP) finalist in performance, and AGLOW is a 2022 AP Finalist in Chamber Music. Alyssa teaches oboe and composition master classes throughout the United States and abroad.
American Record Guide writes that Alyssa’s compositions have “charm and substance.” She is a three-time International Barlow Composition Commission Winner, and was ROCO’s 2020-2021 Composer-In-Residence. Alyssa has been commissioned to compose works for Carolyn Hove, the US Air Force WWQ, the Richmond (IN) Symphony and cellist Andres Diaz, Katherine Needleman, Egide Duo, and more. Alyssa’s music has been presented at the conventions of IDRS, NFA, ICA, CMS, NACWPI, the World Flutes Festival, Japan Oboe Society, SCI, and is performed worldwide. Her works have been required pieces for the IDRS Young Artist and Gillet-Fox Competitions, the International Virtual Oboe Competition, the Spanish Double Reed Society Young Artist Competition, are recommended works on the Australian Music Examinations Board, and are published by Trevco Music.
Alyssa received her BM and MM from Brigham Young University where she studied with Dr. Geralyn Giovannetti. She received her DMA from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Dr. Mark Ostoich, Dwight Parry, and Lon Bussell.