Keslie Pharis is an oboist and educator known for her expressive playing and creative approach, shaped by her extensive background in ballet. Originally from Amarillo, Texas, she 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.

Dr. Pharis fosters both technical excellence and individual artistry in her oboe students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW–La Crosse, and her private oboe studio. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts and a Master of Music from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was Bolz Teaching Assistant and a Paul J. 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.

Also a Lecturer in Music Business at UW–Madison, Dr. Pharis combines her artistic and administrative expertise, 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.