An oboist hailing from Amarillo, Texas, Keslie Pharis has recently performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra, Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, and Madison Bach Musicians. Her recent artistic project “Musical Landscapes and Reminiscence” received a UW–Madison Graduate Creative Arts Award and was selected for presentation at the 2025 International Double Reed Society Conference in Indianapolis.

Known for her expressive playing and creative approach shaped by her extensive background in ballet, Dr. Pharis fosters both technical excellence and individual artistry in her students at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and in her private studio. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was the Bolz Oboe Teaching Assistant and a Paul Collins Distinguished Graduate Fellow, and a Bachelor of Music with Distinction from Indiana University, where she was a recipient of the Jacobs School of Music Premiere Young Artist Award.

Dr. Pharis combines her artistic and administrative expertise as Lecturer of Music Business at UW–Madison, holding a Master of Business Administration from West Texas A&M University and a doctoral minor in Arts Administration from the Bolz Center for Arts Administration at the Wisconsin School of Business. She currently serves as the President of the Capitol City Band Association Board of Directors. At the Jacobs School, she also served as a Project Jumpstart Student Affiliate and as the President of Classical Connections, organizing and performing outreach concerts and facilitating increased access for middle school and high school musicians in partnership with IU’s Center for Rural Engagement. Her other interests include piano, voice, swimming, playing board games, social dancing, and spending time with family and friends.