Expert, trustworthy oboe repair and maintenance for passionate students and professionals - ensuring your oboe always plays its best.
Contact LydiaOur Services
Specialized Oboe Repair & Care
Lydia provides expert, reliable repair for oboists of all levels. Every instrument from student to professional receives scrutinous attention.
- Expert Repairs
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Adjustment checks, octave pad replacements, crack repair, stuck swabs, binding keys - no job is too small.
- Quick Turnaround
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Prompt service for busy musicians—most repairs are completed within days, so you’re back to playing quickly.
- Convenient Service
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Willing to meet in multiple locations in Chicagoland to ease the burden of travel. We'd also love to receive your oboe by mail! Contact us for arrangements.
About Galactic Winds
Lydia first picked up the oboe in 1993 as a precocious 11-year old, having languished amongst the multitudes of clarinets in her middle school band for 12 long months prior. Immediately enraptured by her Selmer 1492 and Jones medium soft reed, she went straight home from the music store and assembled the instrument immediately, ignoring the warning of the salesperson at Ellis Music - 'Don't try to assemble it until your first lesson; it's very delicate.' She plowed through the Rubank Elementary Method that first day, and she's been honking ever since.
Initially interested in a career in oboe and English horn performance, Lydia studied with Neil Boyer at Dartmouth College while in high school and went on to study with Mark Weiger at the University of Iowa. While she ultimately decided not to go the performance route, she sailed the merry seas of life for a period of time, always mulling the instrument repair field as an option for the future. She finally realized her dream when she left upstate New York to attend the Band Instrument Repair Program at Western Iowa Technical and Community College in Sioux City, Iowa, graduating with honors in 2019. Upon graduation, she took a job as a woodwind tech in Chicagoland servicing student, intermediate and professional oboes, English horns, flutes, piccolos, clarinets and bassoons.
Lydia's primary passion is providing advancing students of all ages with expert level repair, ensuring the best playing oboes and English horns. She knows the problems and pitfalls of oboes through years of firsthand experience and is committed that an instrument should never stand in the way of a student's chance to succeed.
A leaky oboe needs love, lest it languish amongst the lousy.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I offer a full range of oboe repairs, including key adjustments, pad replacement, crack repairs, cleaning, and seasonal maintenance. Both student and professional instruments are welcome.
- Most minor repairs are completed within 3–5 business days. More extensive work may take longer, but I’ll keep you updated and work with your schedule whenever possible.
- Just visit the contact section below or email me directly. Describe the issue or service you need, and I’ll reply promptly with more details or a quote.
- I do my best to accommodate urgent requests. Please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your timeline and I’ll let you know if I can help.
- Absolutely! I regularly serve private teachers, students of all ages, and professional musicians. Every client receives attentive, personalized service.