Meet the Board
Amy Collins
Amy Collins is a versatile oboist and educator based in Tampa Bay. She teaches at the University of South Florida—where she hosted the 2019 International Double Reed Society Conference—and at Tennessee’s Governor’s School for the Arts. She is principal oboist of The Venice Symphony and The Villages Philharmonic.
Her diverse performance credits include the New York City Opera, Miami City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Mannheim Steamroller, Cirque du Soleil, and artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, and Diana Ross. In 2007, she became the first instrumentalist to perform in St. Peter’s Basilica since Pope John Paul I, playing for Pope Benedict XVI.
Amy is also president of The Stellar Corporation, Inc. (dba Stellar Oboe Products), known for its oboe reeds and accessories, including the Stellar oboe/English horn stand. The company marked its 25th anniversary in 2023.
Sara Fruehe
Dr. Sara Fruehe is a versatile artist with a varied career as an educator, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Sara currently serves as Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the Columbus State University Schwob School of Music.
Sara’s performance is both dynamic and diverse. She is currently interim principal bassoon with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, second bassoon with the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with notable ensembles such as The Atlanta Opera, and the symphonies of Terre Haute (IN), Columbus (IN),
Owensboro (KY), Battle Creek (MI).
Dr. Fruehe is also a frequent performer at prestigious festivals and conferences, including the International Double Reed Society, College Music Society, among others.
Allison Nicotera
Bassoonist Allison Nicotera is Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Kentucky. As an educator, she is passionate about inspiring bassoonists of all ages to reach their fullest musical potential while realizing the value of their skill sets in all facets of life.
An advocate for new music, she serves on the Board of Directors and is bassoonist with Exceptet, a seven-piece new music ensemble. Their debut album, Tree Lines, was released on New Focus Recordings in January 2025.
Nicotera received her Bachelor of Music degree from The Hartt School, her Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Michigan. When she’s not practicing, performing, teaching, or making reeds she enjoys gardening, tackling home improvement projects with her husband, and spending time with their young daughter, Frankie, and rescue dog, Bowie.
Kassandra Ormsby-Hutchison
Bassoonist Kassandra Ormsby-Hutcheson is passionate about community outreach and is an active performer and teacher. As the Adjunct Instructor of Bassoon and Community Music Program Coordinator at Lenoir Rhyne University, Kassandra is continuing to advocate and create opportunities for music to be accessible to her community. She is the small business owner of KassandraBassoon LLC and the founder of the nonprofit organization Music Ancestry®.
Kassandra Ormsby is attending the University of North Carolina-Greensboro for her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Bassoon Performance, is a graduate from the University of Missouri with a Master’s Degree in Bassoon Performance with graduate certificate in Music Entrepreneurship and is also a graduate of the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education.
Shannon Lowe
Lauded by the American Record Guide as a bassoonist who “…shines her warm instrument in quite a different light” and “phrases her long lyrical lines so that they not only sing but breathe with the gorgeous tone of a high baritone…,” Dr. Shannon Lowe is a dynamic bassoon pedagogue and artist.
Currently, she serves as Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Florida and is principal bassoon with the Albany (GA) Symphony Orchestra. Before her at UF, she served as the Associate Professor of Bassoon at Valdosta State University.
She received her BM in Music Education as well as her MM in Music Performance from the University of Florida and her DMA in Bassoon Performance from SUNY Stony Brook. Dr. Lowe is a proud Fox Bassoon Artist. She recently released the recording A Musical Bouquet: Old, New and Borrowed Works for Bassoon and Strings through MSR Classics.