Kirstie grew up in Essex but has returned to her father’s hometown of Glasgow. From a musical family she began playing the piano at the age of 4 and took up the oboe when she was 12. Her studies continued at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester under the tuition of Peter Graeme, (a member of English Chamber Orchestra and the original oboist for Benjamin Britten’s chamber operas). At the R.N.C.M. Kirstie was awarded The Frederick Nixon Black prize and graduated with a G.R.N.C.M. Hons. Since graduating she has been a guest freelancer with The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Scottish Ballet. In 1995 Kirstie was appointed Principal 2nd oboe and Cor Anglais with The Orchestra of the Scottish Opera. Kirstie is oboe professor at the University of St. Andrews, and is also a regular external examiner and deputy teacher at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. In addition to her music-making she graduated as a BSc Hons in Psychology at The Open University in 2012.