Dr. Ana Isabel Ayala was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where she began her musical journey at the age of five, before her family moved to New York, where she began to study the flute and oboe.

Dr. Ayala spent a year in São Paulo, Brazil, where she played in the Orquestra Sinfonica de Ribeirao Preto. At the end of the season, she moved to Germany to study with world-famous oboist Washington Barella, Professor of Oboe at the Universität der Künste Berlin and Solo Oboist of SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg. After being accepted as a scholar at the International Winter Festival in Campos do Jordão in São Paolo Brazil, Dr. Ayala continued her studies with Washington Barella and Christen Wetzel (Hochschule fur Musik und Tanz Koln).

Dr. Ayala has studied at SUNY Stony Brook University (D.M.A), CUNY Brooklyn College (Music Ed), Aaron Copland School of Music at CUNY Queens College (M.A) and SUNY Purchase College (B.A). Her principle teachers have been Bert Lucarelli, who The New Times calls, “America’s leading oboe recitalist,” Washington Barella (Universität der Künste Berlin and SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg), Pedro Diaz (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra), and James Austin Smith (The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center).

Dr. Ayala has participated in master classes, festivals and private lessons with John Mack (Cleveland Orchestra), Liang Wang (NY Phil), Ray Still (Chicago Orchestra) and Robert Botti (NY Phil), and has performed in several prestigious concert halls around the world such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Sala São Paulo.

After an active freelancing and teaching career in New York, Dr. Ayala decided to move to Raleigh in 2017. Since living in North Carolina, she has served as Faculty at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Kidznotes, as well as performing with the Carolina Ballet, Choral Society of Durham, Choral Society of Durham, North Carolina Master Chorale Orchestra, Mallarmé Chamber Players and Opera Wilmington. 

Dr. Ayala is currently living in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her cute little 16 year old miniature pinscher Cali!