2026 Jon Hawkins Award Winner
Originally from Houston, Texas, Jaksen Vargas is currently an undergraduate student at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where he studies with Elizabeth Freimuth. Prior to attending Rice, he was a student at the Interlochen Arts Academy for two years where he studied with Dr. Lauren Hunt.
At Interlochen, Jaksen was a finalist in the Interlochen Arts Academy Concerto Competition. His horn ensemble, Best Friends Quartet, was invited to compete in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. While on tour with the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra under Cristian Măcelaru, Jaksen played principal horn on the premiere of Wynton Marsalis’s Concerto for Cello, featuring soloists Yo-Yo Ma and Tommy Mesa.
Jaksen was the 2026 Interlochen Orchestral Scholarship recipient. Additionally, he received a full scholarship for both the 2025 and 2026 seasons at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Jaksen is honored to be the 2026 Jon Hawkins Memorial Scholarship recipient and would like to thank the family, friends, and mentors who have guided him this far.
Position(s) Announcement
The Horn Society needs coordinators for two of our very important programs. They are the Composition Contest and the Meir Rimon Commissioning Assistance Program. Randall Faust has been overseeing these areas and wishes to step down after many years of service. These are volunteer positions but are hugely important services to the Horn Society.
We would like for the coordinator of the Composition Contest to be an active composer. Each of these programs happen every other year, and in opposite years, so both projects will not be running during the same year. Also, Randall has offered to help the persons who step into these roles to have a smooth transition and will supply any information needed.
Thank you very much for considering these important services to the Horn Society!
More Information
Join Us in Kraków, Poland for the 58th International Horn Symposium
Registration is now open
The 58th International Horn Symposium will take place July 7-12, 2026 at the Krysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków, Poland, hosted by Wojciech Kamionka. ihs58info@gmail.com
