• Any Vacant Position

• Oboe
• English Horn

I just relocated to the Pacific Northwest in August 2023 after retiring from a career as oboe professor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. I am happy to help the IDRS establish one of its Regional chapters in this area, but I also have many connections throughout the midwest that could be valuable. I've been a member of the IDRS since the 1980's, have attended about half a dozen conferences, and presented at one of them. I'd be willing to serve either as an officer or board member at large.

Edward Benyas is Emeritus Professor of Oboe and Conducting at SIU Carbondale, Artistic Director of the Southern Illinois Music Festival, Principal Conductor at Winter Opera St. Louis and Musica Malicorne (France), and Executive Director of the Cascade Symphony Orchestra (Washington). A former student of Ray Still, he holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Michigan, in Orchestral Conducting, Oboe Performance, Political Science and Law. The Illinois Council of Orchestras named him Conductor of the Year, the Southern Business Journal named him a “Leader Among Us,” and he was named the SIU College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Scholar. Mr. Benyas has guest-conducted orchestras in California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, Maine, North Dakota, Washington, France, Italy, China, Bulgaria, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic. His conducted repertoire includes nearly 400 works, including a dozen world premieres and over a dozen complete operas and ballets. He has transcribed nearly a hundred works for winds, over two dozen of which are published by International Opus. His transcriptions have been performed by ensembles throughout North America, and Europe. Mr. Benyas enjoys an active career as an oboe and English horn player, having performed with the Chicago Symphony under Daniel Barenboim, the Lyric Opera under Zubin Mehta, the Milwaukee and Grant Park Symphonies, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, at the Spoleto, Banff and Carmel Bach summer music festivals, as Principal Oboe for Andrea Bocelli’s National Tour, as founder/director of The New Chicago and Northwestern Wind Quintets, and as Principal Oboist of the Des Moines Metro Opera. The late Robert Marsh of the Chicago Sun-Times described his “beautiful tone and precise intonation” during the famous oboe solo in the Brahms Violin Concerto. He is a licensed attorney and has been elected to both county and school governing boards.