Dr. Laura Medisky is an oboist and Alexander Technique teacher based in Madison, WI. She is the newly appointed Instructor of Oboe at Northern Illinois University. She has served as Acting Principal Oboe in the Rockford Symphony since 2021, a position she previously held with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra from 2016-2022. She performs regularly with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and has also played with the Elgin and Dubuque Symphonies, Con Vivo! chamber ensemble, Fresco Opera, Capital City Theatre, Bel Canto Chorus, and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society. Medisky has presented artist recitals at several International Double Reed Society conferences, and has performed concertos with orchestras in Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, and Idaho. From 2012-19 she was the oboist and a founding member of the wind quintet Black Marigold, a dynamic ensemble that championed new music and commissioned Beer Music by Brian DuFord. Medisky's solo album Personalities: 21st-century American Music for Oboe was released in 2012 on the Centaur Records label.

An engaging guest artist and clinician, Dr. Medisky presents oboe masterclasses and Alexander Technique workshops at music institutions, festivals, and conferences throughout the United States. She has been a presenter at events such as the Chicago Double Reed Fest, IDRS conferences, Beyond the Notes Music Festival, and has been the oboe guest for Double Reed Days at Georgia State University, Southeast Missouri State University, and Ball State University. Medisky has served on faculty at music festivals such as Festival Música das Esferas in Braganća Paulista, Brazil, Double or Nothing Oboe and Bassoon Camp (OH), and Idyllwild Music Festival (CA). At home in Madison, Medisky is the owner of the thriving Medisky Oboe Studio LLC, and is a regular clinician for area schools. Recognized for her creativity and innovation in studio teaching, she was a featured guest on the “Mavericks” series of the podcast Double Reed Dish.

Prior to joining the NIU music faculty, Dr. Medisky taught at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Luther College, Maranatha Baptist University, and Edgewood College. She holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UCLA, and Arizona State University, and she earned her Alexander Technique certification from the Alexander Technique Center Urbana under the direction of Joan and Alex Murray.