Eileen Whalen, oboist, has been hailed by the New York Times on multiple occasions for her “beautiful playing” and “considerable virtuosity”, Opera Today has praised her solos as “exquisite”. She is currently the principal oboist of Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO), Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera and Glimmerglass Opera Summer Festival. She has been principal oboist of Honolulu Symphony, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and she has performed with the New Jersey, Colorado, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Jacksonville Symphonies among others. She can be heard on Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra recordings, on the albums "E O Mai" and "Kamalei: Collection-Two" by renowned Hawaiian recording artist Keali'i Reichel, as well as on the movie soundtrack for Mr. Holland's Opus. 

As principal oboist of Glimmerglass Opera Summer Festival, Ms. Whalen has performed on an Emmy-nominated PBS Great Performance broadcast. She has also recorded for Chandos Records, and can be heard on NPR's World of Opera and WDPR’s Live and Local.  Additionally, Ms. Whalen was a finalist in the prestigious Gillet International Oboe Competition. In 2008, she was appointed to the faculty of the University of Dayton. Other educational activities include performing with the Dayton Philharmonic Woodwind Quintet. Ms. Whalen received a Masters of Fine Arts from California Institute of the Arts, a Bachelor of Music at the University of Cincinnati and did additional coursework at Rice University. Ms. Whalen studied with Allan Vogel, Sara Bloom, Peggy Pearson, and Robert Atherholt.