Oboist Bhavani Kotha is a winner of the 2019 National Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition and the National Federation of Music Clubs Carolyn Nelson Double Reed Award. Additionally, she won concerto competitions with the North York Concert Orchestra and the Hart House Orchestra in Toronto, Ontario. Her solo engagements with the Hart House Orchestra included performing the Strauss Oboe Concerto on their European tour, and the Schwäbisches Tagblatt wrote of her playing: “...soloist Bhavani Kotha impressed us with her broad melodic arches, lively playfulness and fine humour…”

 

Bhavani has performed with several ensembles including The Sound Ensemble (Seattle, WA), Oregon Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, Boise Baroque Orchestra, and Kingston Symphony. She was also featured on Classical King FM Northwest Focus Live and Musical Chairs Seattle radio broadcasts. Kotha has performed various summer festivals across the country including the Oregon Coast Music Festival (Coos Bay, OR), Buzzards Bay MusicFest, Marrowstone Music Festival (Bellingham, WA), Sarasota Music Festival, and Eastern Music Festival (Greensboro, NC). She received praise for her debut album “Bhavani’s Oboe” from The Instrumentalist: "She takes listeners on a musical journey that is both exciting and calming, and it is a joy to become absorbed in her playing. Her mastery of the oboe in all registers is noteworthy..."

 

Bhavani earned her Master’s degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. She enjoys teaching, trying out new dessert recipes, and taking care of her houseplants.