About

Dr. Shane Werts is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of oboe at Northern Arizona University's Kitt School of Music.  He currently holds orchestral positions with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra.

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Previously Dr. Werts has held positions with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, at Colorado State University - Pueblo, and at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.  He has performed with orchestras nationwide such as the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the New World Symphony, the National Repertory Orchestra, the National Orchestral Institute, and the Boulder Philharmonic to name a few.  He has also toured internationally, performing chamber music in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary.  Dr. Werts can be heard playing principal oboe under the Naxos label on the 2018 Grammy Nominated album "Ruggles, Stucky, Harbison," with the National Orchestral Institute Festival Orchestra.

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In addition to teaching and performing, Dr. Werts has experience working with non-profit organizations in arts administration.  He is currently on the team of directors that make up the Snake River Music Festival, based in Dillon, Colorado.  He has previously served as the president of the Summit Community Orchestra and has collaborated with the National Repertory Orchestra and Alpenglow Music Festival in the realms of Music Education. In these roles, he has fostered partnerships with local government, developed educational programs, planned numerous performances, and collaborated with other local arts organizations. 

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Dr. Werts has presented and performed at the International Double Reed Society Conferences in Flagstaff, Boulder, Phoenix, Oklahoma, and Ohio. Additionally, he has presented and performed at the Colorado Music Educators Association conference in Colorado Springs.

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Dr. Werts has earned his degrees from Indiana University (DM and MM), and Colorado State University - Fort Collins (Bachelor of Music Education).  His primary instructors include Roger Roe, Linda Strommen, and Gary Moody.  Dr. Werts is a Howarth artist and has professional affiliations with the National Association for Music Education, the International Double Reed Society, and the College Music Society.