Dr. Austin Way serves as the Bassoon Instructor at the University of Missouri and Washburn University, in addition to performing with the Missouri Quintet, Missouri Symphony, and Kansas City Chamber Orchestra as well as frequent guest performances with the Kansas City Symphony, Kansas City Lyric Opera, and Kansas City Ballet. Prior to this he performed as the Second Bassoonist of the Orquesta Sinfónica Sinaloa de las Artes during its 2015 to 2016 season and served as Acting Principal Bassoonist for the 2016 to 2017 season, where he had the opportunity to tour with the orchestra throughout Mexico, including a performance in December of 2016 in Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the orchestra. Dr. Way has taken part in collaborations with many composers and can be heard performing as the Principal Bassoonist on a recorded collection of concertos for soloists with wind ensemble by Leonardo Balada, recorded for the Naxos Label as well as performing on both bassoon and contrabassoon on Paul Moravec's operatic adaptation of The Shining with the Kansas City Lyric Opera, recorded for the Pentatone label. Additionally, Dr. Way has performed with a variety of ensembles across the country, including two presentations with chamber ensembles at the 2010 and 2022 International Double Reed Society conferences. 
 
From 2012 to 2015, Dr. Way held the bassoon and contrabassoon fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and now spends his summers serving as Associate Principal Bassoonist for the Missouri Symphony. He is a frequent guest artist with other music festivals as well, including recent appearances with the Ad Astra and Sunflower Music Festivals. As a chamber musician, Dr. Way performed with Pittsburgh’s Incidental Chamber Players during its inaugural season of 2014 to 2015, as well as collaborating with musicians across to country and performs with Washburn’s Bluestem Faculty Woodwind Quintet, the Meadowlark Faculty Woodwind Trio, and the Missouri Quintet with the faculty of the University of Missouri as well as the NAVO Inc. ensemble.

As an advocate for new music, Dr. Way has collaborated with many composers such as his work with Stephen Gryc in preparation for his 2021 performance of Guignol for bassoon and wind ensemble. Other recent collaborations include several Latin American composers for his 2023 recording project, featuring works for bassoon and piano by José Siquiera, Tania León, and Daniel Cueto.

Dr. Way holds degrees from the University of Missouri Kansas City Conservatory as well as Carnegie Mellon University. His primary teachers include Marita Abner, Per Hannevold, and Nancy Goeres.