A Conversation with Lindsay McIntosh, Historical Oboist and Arts Educator for Underserved Communities

Lindsay McIntosh is Juilliard-trained historical oboist with an impressive resume in the music world. She has appeared under world-renowned conductors such as William Christi and Masaaki Suzuki. In 2013, while completing her graduate studies at Juilliard, she founded New Vintage Baroque, an innovative period instrument ensemble dedicated to performing 21st-century repertoire on historical instruments. The ensemble received critical acclaim for its imaginative, cross-temporal programming and vibrant energy – hallmarks of Lindsay’s creative leadership. As artistic and executive director of NVB, McIntosh self-produced 25 distinct programs, fundraised more than $100,000, cultivated the organization’s board of directors, commissioned and performed 17 world premieres, collaborated in three opera productions, recorded and released an album of original works on the VIA label and performed in over 75 performances in the U.S. and abroad.

Recognizing her professional strengths beyond that of a freelance oboist, in 2015 McIntosh joined the founding team of National Sawdust, a new, critically acclaimed music venue and non-profit arts Institute located in Brooklyn. There, Lindsay worked on the artistic team creating, implementing, producing and tracking projects at the core of the venue's mission, including ten group residencies and fourteen opera productions. Lindsay’s charisma and experience as a musician led her to become a lead producer for major events and her sensitivity to an artist's needs led her to become a lead artistic liaison to hundreds of professional musicians and ensembles.

Life in the NYC arts scene was busy, intense and exciting but, for Lindsay, it was not a pathway to living her best life. She felt a tremendous pull to return home to Truckee, in rural northern California. So, she did just that.

Remarkably, following her instincts has resulted in more creative opportunities and a more fulfilling life than ever for Lindsay. The added bonus was providing her two young children the kind of childhood she herself had enjoyed.

After relocating to rural northern California, Lindsay created Musica Sierra as an extension of New Vintage Baroque’s programming, with a focus on bringing much-needed music and arts education to rural and underserved communities. Blending her experience in historical performance with a passion for environmental literacy and youth empowerment, Lindsay has grown Musica Sierra into a regional leader in arts integration, offering performances, educational residencies and community programs across Sierra County and beyond.

Among Musica Sierra’s multitude of projects, Lindsay and her husband, co-artistic director Owen McIntosh, launched the Musical Headwaters series – a visionary seven-album commissioning initiative rooted in the belief that music can deepen empathy, eco-literacy and environmental stewardship. Through this lens, composers, songwriters and ensembles are invited to create original music that reflects the natural world and supports children’s social and emotional development. Since 2021, Musica Sierra has premiered four albums aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards for primary education in California, featuring acclaimed collaborators such as Majel Connery, Fire & Grace & Ash, Time For Three and The Red Hoop Singers, exploring themes like watersheds, trout, mammals and birds. In 2025, Lindsay McIntosh led Musica Sierra in commissioning a fifth nature-inspired album, Garden, for which she served as producer, and which was released on August 1.

“We strive to bring cultural diversity to our programming for the benefit of everyone. Since we are a primarily white population in a very rural area with no access to the performing arts, we foster curiosity, joy and exposure through our culturally diverse educational programming."

Learn more:

https://musicasierra.org

https://www.facebook.com/musicasierra/

https://www.instagram.com/musica_sierra