Monica Fosnaugh had previously subbed several times with the DSO before her appointment to the orchestra and even at that point had drawn widespread praise for her musical artistry from her colleagues on stage.
Fosnaugh currently resides in Syracuse, New York, but was born and grew up in Lima, Ohio—the only daughter of two music educators and sibling to three brothers. While all of the children had a musical background, only she and one of her brothers eventually pursued a career in music. Fosnaugh’s exposure to music began at the age of 4, when her mother started her on piano, an instrument that she continued through high school. Monica began playing the oboe in 5th grade (even though she wasn’t encouraged on this instrument by her band instructor!) and started with private lessons very soon thereafter. Even though the oboe is a notoriously difficult instrument, particularly when begun at such an early age, Monica was determined to stick with it, and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.
In what Fosnaugh described as “a dream come true”, she was admitted to the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music after she completed high school, and there she studied with Cleveland Orchestra principal oboist John Mack. She continued her training at Rice University, where she obtained a Masters Degree. Following that came a Principal Oboe position with the Kalamazoo Symphony, an engagement with the Rochester Philharmonic, and two years with the New World Symphony in Miami, Florida. Following her New World training, Fosnaugh won the Solo English Horn/Third Oboe position with the Syracuse Symphony, where she stayed for nearly two complete seasons. Fosnaugh also holds positions with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and The Colorado Music Festival in Boulder.
Fosnaugh’s hobbies include running, cycling, cooking, reading and watching old movies.