Larkspur musicians

Stephanie Carlson, oboe

Dr. Stephanie Carlson is Assistant Professor of Music at Murray State University where she teaches applied oboe, bassoon, classical saxophone, reed-making, chamber music, and woodwind methods. Prior to her appointment at Murray State, she served as Instructor of Oboe at Concordia College Moorhead from 2014-2021 where she taught oboe, bassoon, classical saxophone, reed-making, chamber music, woodwind methods, music history, music appreciation, Women in Music, and an Inquiry Seminar on music and psychology. She has also served on the faculty of Minnesota State University Moorhead, the Atlanta Music Academy, the Encore! Music Camp, the International Music Camp, and the Murray State University Racer Instrumental Music Academy Summer Music Camp.

As an orchestral musician, Dr. Carlson currently performs regularly with the Paducah Symphony and the Jackson (TN) Symphony. Previously, she served as second oboist and English hornist with the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony from 2014-2023. She has also performed with the Augusta Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and the GAMAC Chamber Orchestra, among others. As a recitalist, she is a regular recitalist at conferences of the International Double Reed Society and has also performed or presented at conferences of the International Clarinet Association (most recently at the 2024 ClarinetFest conference in Dublin, Ireland), the 2024 College Music Society National Conference in Washington, DC, and the 2023 Music by Women Festival in Columbus, MS. As a dedicated teacher who is passionate about educational outreach, she is active nationally as a clinician and has performed for thousands of K-12 students with the Concordia Wind Quintet through the Minnesota Public Radio Class Notes Artists program. She is currently oboist with the Larkspur Reed Trio (oboe, English horn, and clarinet), of which she is a founding member.

Dr. Carlson is dedicated to championing new and rediscovered music by underrepresented composers, especially composers who happen to be women. She has a particular research interest in the music of Ruth Gipps and her debut recording project consisting of two volumes of Gipps’ chamber works for oboe and English Horn is due for release in 2025.

Dr. Carlson holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Georgia, where she studied oboe with Dr. Reid Messich and Dr. Dwight Manning and bassoon with Dr. Amy Pollard and Dr. William Davis. She received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music as a student of Ms. Elizabeth Camus of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Susan Miranda, English horn

Dr. Susan Miranda is a dynamic oboist, entrepreneur, and champion of new music whose career spans performance, commissioning, education, and outreach. She is the founder of the Larkspur Reed Trio and BS Project, and co-founder of Dúo León and Reed5 — ensembles that reflect her commitment to innovative collaboration and expanding the oboe’s repertoire.

Renowned for her adventurous programming and dedication to contemporary music, Dr. Miranda has organized and performed numerous world premieres. These include Hidden Currents, co-commissioned with Dr. Onsby Rose and premiered with the Dordt University Wind Symphony; Across by Theresa Martin (IDRS 2022); Colors by Virginia Samuel (NASA Biennial 2022); and multiple works by composer Jonathan Posthuma, including Larkspur: Prelude and Scherzo (ICA 2023). Her global presence includes recent performances at the 2023 IDRS Conference in Salaya, Thailand, the 2024 IDRS Conference in Flagstaff, AZ, and the 2024 ICA Conference in Dublin, Ireland. In March 2026, she will perform alongside Dr. Cody Hunter at the International Duo Symposium in San José, Costa Rica. She has performed with the Omaha Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra, and Winona Symphony, contributing her artistry to both regional and large-scale orchestral settings.

Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, Dr. Miranda has performed at the International Music by Women Conference and the SHE Festival, highlighting works by women composers. She also blends storytelling and music education through projects like Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox Find the Blues, an original musical tale co-written with saxophonist Brian Handeland. Together, the BS Project presented this interactive show 117 times to audiences of all ages across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

Dr. Miranda serves on the faculty of Dordt University and is a Fox Products Performing Artist. Her teaching philosophy bridges classical training with real-world creativity, and she frequently leads grant-funded educational initiatives. One recent highlight is Larkspur Reed Trio’s video project featuring music by Alejandra Odgers and the story Isabel and Her Colores Go to School by Alexandra Alessandri — a bilingual resource made freely available to educators, libraries, and families.

A proud alumna of Interlochen Arts Academy, Dr. Miranda studied with Daniel Stolper before earning her DMA and MM from the University of Kansas and a BA in Communications from the University of Minnesota.

Outside the concert hall, she’s an avid traveler with a bold mission: to visit all 433 U.S. National Park Sites with her daughter — 263 and counting.

Amy McCann, Clarinet

Dr. Amy McCann is currently Associate Professor of Music at Murray State University where she teaches clarinet and aural skills. Dr. McCann is also a former military musician and active freelance performer and teacher. She has played with the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Wheeling Symphony, Johnstown Symphony, and the West Virginia Symphony. She also served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point, Miami University in Oxford, OH, Lawrence University in Appleton, WI and Concord University in Athens, WV.

Dr. McCann is a Sponsored Artist and Reed Making Specialist with Precision Reed Products, the maker of the Reedual single reed machine. She is also a Rice Clarinet Works Performing Artist. 

​Dr. McCann has studied reed making techniques with both Dr. John Weigand at West Virginia University and Mr. Keith Hill, an instrument builder who has done extensive studies on the physical vibrating properties of wood and cane.

Dr. McCann regularly performs and presents clinics nationally and internationally. She has been an invited performer and presenter at the International Clarinet Association's annual ClarinetFest, the Midwest ClarinetFest, the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors conference, the International Double Reed Society Conference, and more. 

Dr. McCann holds degrees from West Virginia University and Indiana University. She has studied with Steve Barta, Eli Eban, Howard Klug, and John Weigand.