Ghez, 26, is currently principal oboe of the Rochester Philharmonic and second oboe with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia; until recently she was principal oboe at the Santa Fe Opera as well. She was chosen by music director Esa-Pekka Salonen out of a pool of 100 applicants, six of whom played and auditioned with the orchestra.
Ghez has a bachelor's degree in English literature from Columbia University, where she did the Columbia/Juilliard School double degree. She studied with oboists John Mack and John Ferrillo, and later undertook graduate studies at Temple University in Philadelphia with oboist Richard Woodhams.