About
Arkansas Double Reed Project
The Arkansas Double Reed Project (ADRP) is all about helping bassoon and oboe students—of any age—find their way into the exciting world of double reeds. Whether you’re a young musician picking up an instrument for the very first time, and active double reed student looking for more local resources, or a band director looking for ways to guide your students, we’re here for you!
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If you’ve ever wondered how to begin your journey on the bassoon or oboe, this is your place to start. And if you’re a band teacher, we invite you to join our project—together we can open doors for the next generation of Arkansas double reed players.
Our mission is to support and grow the double reed community across the entire state of Arkansas. To make sure no one is left out, we offer online learning opportunities, including:
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Easy-to-follow support materials to get started
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Zoom lessons and workshops led by experienced teachers
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A welcoming community space to ask questions and share progress
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Annual events that bring students, teachers, and professionals together to learn and celebrate music
Dr. Theresa Delaplain
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Associate Professor of Oboe at the University of Arkansas.
Theresa Delaplain is an esteemed oboist and pedagogue, actively performing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. She has commissioned, performed, and recorded several new works for oboe and has been a champion of contemporary music. Delaplain is a founding organizer of the SHE Festival of Women in Music, a yearly international festival to promote music written by women. She is the Second Place winner in the 2024 American Prize Instrumental Soloist division, and she is a Lorée Artist.
Her solo album, Souvenirs, with pianist Tomoko Kashiwagi, has earned glowing reviews in several publications. It was described in Fanfare as “...a fascinating mix of repertoire, performed to the highest of standards. This is a fabulously thought-out excursion into the oboe repertoire, beautifully recorded.” A description in The Double Reed proclaimed that “Delaplain’s mellow tone is beautifully suited to the melismatic phrases.” In 2025 Delaplain released Her Voice with pianist Miroslava Panayotova, an album of music by women for oboe and piano.
Delaplain has been a panelist and presenter at several festivals and conferences, and she has also recently resumed composing and performing her own works. She won a grant to perform in Creative Arkansas Community Hub and Exchange’s “Mixtape” series in a social justice program of works for oboe and multimedia, and her composition Monet Suite for oboe/English horn and piano was published by Trevco Music Publishing.
Delaplain has performed as concerto soloist with the Fort Smith Symphony, the North Arkansas Symphony, the Arkansas Philharmonic, the Thai National Orchestra, the LOU Orchestra, the Tulsa Youth Symphony, and the University of Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Wind Symphony, and Chamber Orchestra. She currently serves as Principal Oboist for the Fort Smith Symphony, and the Arkansas Philharmonic. As oboist with the Lyrique Quintette, Delaplain has toured Panama, Spain, Germany, Thiland, Canada, and throughout the United States. The quintet recently released Arrivals and Departures: Music of the Americas on the Mark Classic label, and they previously released Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. Delaplain has performed at many International Double Reed Society Conventions.
A dedicated educator, Delaplain is an Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas, where she teaches oboe and music theory and is Woodwind Area Coordinator. She has taught at the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Arts Camp, the Midwest Double Reed Camp, and the Saarburg International Music Festival and School in Germany. She has been active as a clinician and adjudicator, including appearances at the Mid-South Double Reed Society Festival, Valdosta State University Double Reed Day, University of Central Oklahoma Oboe Day, KState Oboe Day, East Carolina Oboe Day, and the Arkansas All-State Music Convention.
Delaplain has also written a popular oboe reed-making book, My Kingdom for a Reed!, and is the co-host of Something to Crow About!, a YouTube channel devoted to oboe reed-making. She also served as Treasurer of the Midwest Double Reed Society for many years.
Dr. Melanie Ferrabone
Teaching Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the University of Arkansas.
Dr. Melanie Ferrabone, a distinguished Panamanian bassoonist, has built a multifaceted international career as a teacher, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. Her work and performances have made a significant impact on the global music community.
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She currently serves as bassoon faculty at the University of Arkansas and previously taught as an adjunct professor at Florida International University. During the summer, she works as the Artistic Operations and Program Coordinator for the International Saint Malo Festival, one of the leading academic festivals in Latin America, hosting musicians from more than 30 countries. At this festival in 2024, she premiered and performed her composition Entre Mares with the wind ensemble.
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An active performer in Arkansas and Florida, Dr. Ferrabone has appeared with ensembles such as the Arkansas Symphony, Palm Beach Symphony, Florida Grand Opera, NuDeco Ensemble, and Gulfshore Opera. She has also recorded for the Grammy-awarded studios Miami Art House and L Music Miami, contributing to albums for Il Divo, Agris, and other projects.
Dr. Ferrabone has received recognition in several competitions, including the Frost Concerto Competition (2022), the Mississippi Music Teacher Association Collegiate Competition, the USM Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition, and the USM Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.
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Her participation in major conferences and events includes the College Music Society Conference, the Meg Quigley Bassoon Competition and Symposium in Arizona, and the Festival de Dobles Cañas de Centroamérica in Guatemala. She has also performed at festivals such as the New Hampshire Music Festival and the Eastern Music Festival, showcasing her versatility as a contrabassoonist, as well as at prominent U.S. festivals like Festival Napa Valley’s Blackburn Music Academy and the Brevard Summer Music Institute.
Twice featured in Score Magazine, Dr. Ferrabone was recognized as a distinguished female musician in Florida for her innovative vision for the modern music career.
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Originally from Panama, she began her musical training at the National Conservatory under Daniel Agudo. She later pursued her studies in the United States, earning her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern Mississippi under Dr. Kimberly Woolly and completing both her Master’s and Doctoral degrees at the University of Miami under Professor Gabriel Beavers.