Karla Avila, clarinet, is an emerging talent in the Bay Area and performs in a variety of musical venues and genres. Her musical training includes a M.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where she studied with David Breeden. Karla Avila performs with various orchestras and contemporary music ensembles in the Bay Area including the Monterey, Marin, Fresno and Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestras, Berkeley Contemporary Music Players and Ensemble Parallèle. She has recorded film scores at Skywalker Ranch and for PBS, and currently plays in the dynamic and progressive hip hop project Ensemble Mik Nawooj as well as with the Avenue Winds Quintet.

Jessica Boelter, oboe, is a freelance performer and instructor in the Bay Area. In addition to the Avenue Winds, she enjoys performing with many local ensembles, including the Santa Rosa, Marin, California, Fremont, Napa Valley Symphonies, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Pocket Opera Philharmonic and as a guest artist with Quinteto Latino. Originally from the Midwest, she has performed on oboe and English horn with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and Festival de Musique de Saint Berthelemy. She has worked with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, Kenneth Kiesler and Victor Yampolsky. Jessica received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University. Her principal teachers have included Alex Klein, Harry Sargous, Grover Schiltz and John de Lancie. Jessica currently teaches oboe and English horn privately in San Francisco and Burlingame.

Melanie Schattschneider Keller, flute & piccolo, is currently serving as second flute in the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Marin Symphonies, the North Bay Opera Orchestra, the San Francisco Lyric Opera, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre Orchestra and Broadway by the Bay. Mrs. Keller has spent recent summers performing at the Mendocino Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Texas Music Festival and the Las Vegas Music Festival, and touring the world with the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra and the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra. She has participated in several masterclasses across the country, including those taught by Trevor Wye, Carol Wincenc, Jeanne Baxtresser, Renee Siebert and Keith Underwood. She was a prizewinner in the 2003 Orchestral Audition Masterclass at the National Flute Association Convention in Las Vegas, the 2003 Flute Festival Mid-South Young Artist Competition, the 2005 Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair Young Artist Competition, the 2006 Madison Flute Festival Young Artist Competition and the 2007 NFA Convention Performer’s Competition. She received her M.M. degree in the studio of Timothy Day at the San Francisco Conservatory and her B.M. degree in the studio of Mark Sparks at the Peabody Institute. Former teachers also include Laurie Sokoloff, Sara Nichols and Gail Cameron. Mrs. Keller also enjoys teaching flute at several schools in the Bay Area including St. Matthew’s Catholic School in San Mateo and Myriad Music School. She is a former faculty member of the Golden Gate Philharmonic and has taught at the Mt. Tamalpais School in Mill Valley and St. Paul’s Music School in Burlingame. Mrs. Keller is a founding member of The Avenue Winds. She currently resides in Belmont, CA with her husband, Blaise, and their son, Owen. To hear Melanie featured on a Beauport Classical recording with former Avenue Winds members Sarah Rathke and Steve Sanchez, click here

Charles Moehnke, bassoon, graduated with a M.M. Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory in the studio of Stephen Paulson. Previously, he received his B.M. Degree with distinction from Indiana University in the studio of Kim Walker. He has performed with many Bay Area ensembles including the Marin, Modesto, California, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz Symphonies.  Mr. Moehnke has performed with the Columbus Philharmonic and Ardo Opera Company in Indiana. He was also a permanent member of Citywinds, another Bay Area quintet.

Erika Wilsen, horn, is a freelance performer and instructor in the Bay Area. She has performed with many ensembles, including the symphony orchestras of Berkeley, California, Fremont, and Vallejo as well as the Peninsula Ballet Theatre, the San Francisco Lyric Opera and Broadway By the Bay. Before receiving her M.M. in Horn Performance from the University of Michigan she graduated magna cum laude with a double major in Music and English from Davidson College. Her primary mentors have included Soren Hermansson and Louis Stout. Prior teaching credits include horn instructor at the University of San Francisco, the Interlochen Centre for the Arts and the University of Michigan Summer Arts Institute. She has attended the Sarasota Music Festival, the Sewanee Music Festival and twice she was an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada.