Amy Barwan appears regularly with many of Chicago's finest musical organizations. A native of Chicago, Ms. Barwan is a graduate of DePaul University, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education and Oboe Performance. She started out in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, where she performed under Solti, Barenboim, and Boulez, and quickly found herself engaged in concerts throughout the Chicago area. Amy spent a summer working with the Disney Orchestra and went on to play with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, touring with the group several times and performing as a soloist. Soon after, she was invited to be a guest artist with the Chicago Chamber Musicians and her freelance career led to a variety of different work with organizations such as Chicago Opera Theatre, Sarasota Opera, Music of the Baroque, Ars Viva, City Lights Orchestra, and the Joffrey Ballet.
Amy currently plays with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Northwest Indiana Symphony, Camerata Chicago, and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. She is a regular substitute with the Elgin Symphony as well as many other regional orchestras, including the Lake Forest Symphony. Amy has recently performed with Broadway in Chicago for productions of Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast, and can be seen in the WTTW Chicago production of A Christmas Carol – The Concert, which aired on PBS nationwide in December 2013.
Ms. Barwan has been involved in several recording projects this year, including Brian Wilson’s upcoming album featuring Jeff Beck. She can also be heard on Wendy Warner’s newly-released album with Camerata Chicago; she also toured Europe with Ms. Warner and the orchestra last summer. As a member of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, she performed on their recently launched Trilogy Recording Project. This past year, Ms. Barlow performed onstage with Bernadette Peters and Celtic Women, and in recent years she has had the pleasure of working with stars such as Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, and Shirley Jones. A versatile freelancer, her upcoming engagements include a variety of different musical styles, from classical to jazz to pop.