WELL DRESSED AND sporting a bandaged hand when I interviewed her this week, Jennifer Roloff didn’t seem to notice the attention she has gotten as of late.

But that will probably change soon. Being in the spotlight is what happens when you win the Gail & Harry Adams Young Artists Competition and the Young Baroque Artists Competition in a span of just six weeks.

On Saturday, this modest 18-year-old will perform Vaughan Williams’ Oboe Concerto as a guest soloist with the Danville Symphony Orchestra. The concert, titled “Magical Melodies,” begins at 7:30 p.m. at Danville High School. (Click here for directions.)

She was invited to appear with the DSO as a result of winning the Adams Young Artists Competition, which was held Jan. 27 at the St. James United Methodist Church in Danville.

Roloff’s other first-prize performance came last Saturday, when the oboist won the Young Baroque contest, sponsored by the Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (BACH). She performed two movements of Marcello’s Oboe Concerto in d minor. The event took place at Smith Memorial Hall on the University of Illinois campus.

She and the other winners of the Young Baroque competition (including subfreshman Kathy Qiu, who placed third) will play at a BACH concert to be held 7:30 p.m. May 18 at St. John Lutheran Church, Champaign.

Roloff won $500 for each of her first-place finishes. Her accomplishments came on top of already being named an all-state musician by the Illinois Music Educators Association, an honor she shared with fellow Uni students Ethan Berl (tenor I), Daniel Borup (bass I), and Lucy Zhang (violin I).

In fact, I was wondering if she had any other medals or oboes tucked up her sleeve. Below is a transcript of our conversation.

Assistant editor Jie Han interviews Jennifer Roloff. The oboist has earned numerous honors this year for her talents on the instrument, including selection as an all-state musician by the Illinois Music Educators Association. Gargoyle photo by Sindha Agha (click to enlarge)

Was this your first time participating in the Gail & Harry Adams Young Artists Competition?

No, actually I did it last year also. I played the Mozart Oboe Concerto and I got honorable mention.

You recently played in the Young Baroque Artists Competition. Is this your first time?

This is my first time.

What [pieces] did you play?

I played the Marcello [Oboe] Concerto in d minor … the andante e spiccato and the adagio.

How did you feel the days and hours leading up to those events? Were you nervous or did you practice extra hard?

Especially for the Gail & Harry Adams competition, I practiced a whole lot … but the Baroque competition I didn’t do as much practicing because I’ve been playing these pieces for auditions and recitals and concerts and stuff a lot in the past couple of months, so I was pretty well prepared for it, and I didn’t do a lot of extra stuff.

Wow, so you’ve been very busy, haven’t you?

Very.

So how do you feel now that you’re done with these competitions, now that you’ve won them?

It’s really nice. It’s kind of exciting because it’s a good way to end my high school [career] and now I have to just think about college stuff and getting ready for that.

You’ll be performing in two concerts, one on Saturday and one in May. Can you give me any details about them?

I don’t know much about the one in May since it’s a long ways off. But the one this Saturday, I’ll be playing with the Danville Symphony, and I’ll be playing the piece that I won for the Gail & Harry Adams Young Artists Competition.

Do you know what you’ll be playing in May?

I think I’ll just be playing the same pieces I did for the [Young Baroque] competition.

So Saturday, will this be your first time playing with an orchestra?

Except for rehearsals, yeah. I’ve never gotten to perform with an orchestra before. I mean, I’ve played in orchestras before, but this is a lot different because I’m kind of up there in front of the orchestra.

So, are you nervous or queasy?

I am definitely nervous, because I mean, I’m going to be playing in a relatively large concert so … we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully it’ll go well. Usually performances go well. I hope my reeds work; they might not, they might. I’ve gotten some good reeds lately. Reeds are always a source of concern for me, because they change a lot and they work for one day, and the next day they don’t work at all, and so we’ll see.

How do you choose your pieces?

Well, often my teacher [Michelle Stearns], she just pulls out a couple of pieces that she has from her stash of pieces and plays parts of them for me. I listen to them and I’m like, “Oh, I like that one better than this one,” so I choose the one I like better.

How long have you played the oboe?

I’ve played since fourth grade.

That’s a long time. Why did you choose to play the oboe?

I think my mom kind of wanted me to play the oboe. That’s not [only] why I chose it but … ever since I was little, I listened to classical music. There’s lots of oboe solos in classical music in orchestras and so, you know, whenever we heard an oboe she was like, “Oh, listen to the oboe.” So for a couple years I was like, “I wanna play the oboe” and “When am I gonna be able to play the oboe?” Then [my parents] let my sister start playing the violin in fourth grade, so they were like, “You can start playing in fourth grade if you still want to do it then.” Finally in fourth grade, I got to start.

You started lessons with your current teacher?

Yeah, I’ve never switched teachers.

Have you tried out any other instruments?

I play piano.

How long have you played that?

Since first grade, but I don’t take it as seriously.

So you don’t enter big competitions or anything like that?

No, I don’t do any competitions with piano. My teacher doesn’t do a lot of competitions in general. But I mean, I don’t practice as much with my piano as I do for oboe.

So do you search out these competitions yourself or …?

Usually they just appear … no (laughter) … they kind of do …. Sometimes I get stuff in the mail or I hear about a competition and I’m like, “Oh, that sounds fun, and I have a piece I can play for that … hmm, let’s do that!” I ask my teacher, and she is like, “Sure you can do that.” And so we get prepared for it.

How do they usually turn out?

Well, it just depends …. I mean, there a lot of different factors [that affect] how they turn out, but I’ve had a lot of good competitions and I’ve had some pretty miserable ones too, but that’s the way it goes. And by now I know that one performance isn’t going to be the end of the world if I screw it up or whatever … naturally I want do well.

About how long do you practice every day?

It really depends. Usually at least 40 minutes, but do you count reed-making? … I mean, I make reeds for a while [and] I’ve been making a lot of reeds recently, so that’s a lot of time. Then I play oboe usually between 40 minutes and an hour and a quarter. [But] when I was getting ready for my recital [on Jan. 12 at Smith Memorial Hall] I was playing definitely over an hour each day, maybe an hour and a half … but that was just because I needed to, or else I would not have been able to do that whole concert (laughs).

And you still juggle all your homework?

I don’t have a ton of homework. I mean, I've got a lot of homework for Russian, but other than that … and math too … I don’t have tons and tons of homework this year.

That’s good, with your busy schedule …

Yeah, it’s been especially nice since I’ve been gone so much that I don’t have to do as much make-up work.

Do you have any plans for entering any other competitions?

I think that there’s one more [that] I’m going to do and then I’ll be done, which’ll be really nice. That’s one for seniors in high school who are continuing on with music in college.

So you plan to major in music or oboe [in college]?

Yeah, definitely. I’m planning on majoring in oboe performance and maybe something else. I’ll probably do a double major but I don’t know …. I’m gonna go [to college] and see what I’ll be able to do and see what I’m interested in and then decide, but definitely oboe.

Did you injure your hand playing oboe?

No, I think this was injured by doing flexed arm hang, but now it hurts.

How will that affect your performance?

[I]t should be fine …. I can still play oboe [though] it hurts a little bit, but I’m trying to be careful and not do quite as much practicing at one time.

So, do you have any other advice for young musicians?

I guess just love what you do. I mean, I love playing oboe, not all the time of course … like when my reeds don’t work. I guess you learn to love the music and playing it and you’re not always gonna like it, but it’s a great thing.