Erik Andrusyak is the Principal Oboe of the Elgin Symphony, beginning in the 2019-2020 season. He comes to Elgin from the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training program under the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he is a principal member from 2017-2020. Mr Andrusyak is a frequent substitute and guest musician with renowned ensembles such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic, the Geoffrey Ballet Orchestra, and the New World Symphony. He has attended several prestigious music festivals, including the Pacific Music Festival and the Music Academy of the West, where he has had the privilege of working with renowned conductors including Valery Gergiev, Christoph von Dohnányi, Osmo Vänskä, Larry Rachleff, Alan Gilbert, Ken-David Masur and Rafael Payare. Erik is originally from Russia and has recently completed his studies with Alex Klein, former Principal Oboe of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, at DePaul University. Other teachers include Eugene Izotov, Scott Hostetler, Joseph Claude, and Grace Hong.