Music Director Riccardo Muti has appointed William Welter, a 24-year-old graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, as principal oboe of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

His appointment takes effect this fall, after his contract is finalized. He currently is attending the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, Calif.

A native of Omaha, Neb., Welter grew up in Crescent, Iowa. At the Curtis Institute, he studied with longtime Philadelphia Orchestra principal oboe Richard Woodhams. Another one of his teachers was Eugene Izotov, a former CSO principal oboe. Welter most recently completed his artist diploma at the Oberlin Conservatory. His experience includes stints at Tanglewood Music Center and Aspen Music Festival, as well as engagements with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.