Some are truly passionate about investing their life into their career – Miami University Professor of Music Andrea Ridilla is the prime example of that person.

Ridilla was recently named to the Hall of Fame at her high school in Pennsylvania, published the Second Edition of her own book and got invited to teach and perform in Italy this November. She has devoted her life to studying and loving music and languages, which have paid off greatly for her. 

“I feel strongly about foreign language study,” Ridilla said. “If you’re going to have any sort of international career, you want to be able to communicate with people on their terms.”

She enjoys speaking Italian and says she improves the most when spending time in the country, practicing it with native speakers and listening to how they use the language, including the many expressions that go beyond textbook study. She spent three weeks in Grado on the Adriatic Coast last summer. In a few months, she will return to Europe – this time to Florence, Italy.

In Italy, Ridilla will perform in the Konzert Opera Series at the Church of Santa Felicità near the famous Ponte Vecchio. It will feature Baroque music with organ. She will also perform a recital with piano in the Arezzo, the Tuscan city all musicians know from Guido d’Arrezzo, the monk who invented modern musical notation. She was also invited to give classes on the American style oboe playing to Italian students at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory of Music in Florence and the Conservatorio Superiore “Rinaldo Franci” in Siena.

In the 2nd edition of her opera textbook which was published in August 2023: “Opera: Passport to the Liberal Arts,” Ridilla added three new chapters and revised existing material. She loves teaching opera because there is so much interface with oboe playing. She said the more you know about singing, the better the oboe playing, and in the end, it’s all about listening.

Back in the U.S.A., her high school, Derry Area Senior High School, forty five minutes east of Pittsburgh is honoring Ridilla on September 30 by adding her to their Hall of Fame.

From her legacy at home to her reputation abroad, Professor Ridilla seems to succeed in whatever she sets her mind to. It is called “finding your passion”...the Miami way!