Lauren Kowal is a recent graduate of Western Michigan University where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance and Bachelor of Arts in English. Lauren is currently pursuing her Master of Music in Oboe Performance and Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy at The Ohio State University. A Detroit native, Lauren has always been surrounded by diverse sounds and music, and was drawn to the oboe by her first band director. After graduation, Lauren plans to pursue a DMA in oboe performance, then to form a nonprofit chamber ensemble with a mission to make chamber music, more specifically the Reed Quintet genre, more accessible and attainable to beginner/intermediate music students while also elevating composers and performers who have had a more difficult journey to having their voices heard and appreciated in society.

While at WMU, Lauren received from the Lee Honors College the Gwen Frostic Medallion Scholarship, one of the most prestigious merit-based scholarships for undergraduates. She was also awarded the Leonard Meretta Endowed Scholarship for outstanding performance and achievement in the university’s top wind ensemble. During her final year at WMU, Lauren performed with the WMU Graduate Woodwind Quintet and Western Winds, an ensemble consisting of wind, brass and percussion applied faculty and graduate assistants, directed by Dr. Scott Boerma. Lauren was also a member of the first Reed Quintet at WMU, Invictus Winds and is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta and Pi Kappa Lambda honors fraternities.

Beyond her passion for music, Lauren loves antiquing, hiking, reading, running and traveling.