Student Advisory Council

Isabella is a French horn player, educator, composer, and conductor from Venezuela, now currently based in Glasgow. A recent graduate with a BMus in French horn performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Isabella's musical journey began in Venezuela singing in choirs until her move to the U.S. at the age of 14, where she started playing the horn. In 2020, driven by her devotion to music, she relocated to Scotland to further develop her studies. During her time in Scotland, Isabella has collaborated with numerous orchestras across the U.K., including notable performances alongside the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Marine Band of Scotland, Berlin Opera Academy, Celtic Connections orchestras and National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. In addition to horn, Isabella is an emerging conductor, having participated in conducting courses and competitions such as Semi-finalist of the BBCA Competition, George Hurst Conducting course, Glover-Edwards Conducting Course at Royal Academy, University of Miami Women’s Conducting Symposium, among others. Isabella is a dedicated community musician and educator, motivated by a profound desire for continuous learning and professional development. Her extensive experience includes roles such as Ambassador for the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland, mentor and emerging composer for the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, International Women’s Brass Conference mentee, and Benedetti Foundation Lead Ambassador.

Currently, Isabella serves as the musical director of the Partickhill Community Choir and a brass tutor at the Africa Music School, in addition to offering private horn lessons. She also collaborates with organizations such as the International Horn Society as a student advisor and manages social media for the British Horn Society. Isabella advocates for social change through music, aiming to raise awareness of its transformative impact on people and communities.

Cassidy Fairchild is a first-year PhD student at Washington State University studying horn performance. She received her master’s degree in arts from Washington State University. She currently plays in the WSU Orchestra, the Graduate Brass Quintet, the WSU Brass Trio, Jazz Lab Band, and the WSU Horn Studio. Cassidy is in the works of producing a jazz horn album along with other recording projects. An active freelance musician, Cassidy is the fourth horn with the Mid-Columbia Symphony. She also performs with the Coeur D’Alene Symphony, the Walla Walla Symphony, the Washington Idaho Symphony, and Mid-Columbia Master Singers. She has previously performed with the Illinois Valley Symphony, and the Illinois Valley Wind Ensemble. Before coming to Washington State University, she worked as a substitute teacher for LaSalle County and performed as a freelance musician.

A horn player out of Paw Paw, Illinois, Cassidy received her Bachelor’s degree in horn performance and music education from Illinois State University. Her primary teachers include Martin King and Rachel Hockenberry.

In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her two cats, hiking, racing boats, and learning different instruments.

Payton Grotewiel is an undergraduate student at the University of Alabama where she studies Horn Performance under the direction of Professor Charles Snead. Prior to college she participated in various ensembles, namely, the SLSMEA Honors Band, St. Charles County Youth Orchestra and multiple secondary school ensembles including Marching, Jazz and Concert band, where she dedicated much time to learning and performing on the horn as well as helping others do so through various musical leadership positions.

Currently, Payton serves with the IHS Student Advisory Council in hopes to bring resources and opportunities to new and experienced horn players around the world.

Inman Hébert studies horn performance at the University of Alabama under the direction of Professor Charles “Skip” Snead. Additionally, he studied under the guidance of Dr. Brenda Luchsinger, the IHS Area Coordinator for Alabama, for five years.

Inman has performed in the University of Alabama Wind Ensemble, the Huxford Symphony Orchestra, the Gulf Coast Sinfonia Orchestra, the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, and the Montgomery Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, he became a repeat winner of the Southeast Horn Workshop’s annual low horn excerpt competition.

He has served as an inaugural member of the International Horn Society’s Student Advisory Council since its founding in 2021. As someone with a passion for sharing knowledge, he writes the student column for the IHS’s Horn and More online newsletter under the guidance of editor Dr. Michael Harcrow and has also been published in the Horn Call magazine.

Born and raised in Southern California, Cassandra Jeon is currently pursuing a degree in horn performance under the guidance of Marie Lickwar at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Since moving to Hawaii, she has been an active member of the University of Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, and Symphonic Band. Cassandra was recently awarded the UH Bands Chamber Scholarship and will begin the upcoming Fall semester as a member of UH’s first Horn Quartet Scholarship group.

Cassandra is also an active member of her horn studio, as she is the driving force behind the Horn Studio’s Instagram page, curating content that showcases the studio’s activities and message, and celebrates peers’ accomplishments. In addition to her musical capabilities, Cassandra is a true community builder. Her warm, inclusive nature brings people together both in and outside the horn studio.

A memorable highlight in her performance career was during the summer of 2023, when she and her friends shared their love of music by performing a free recital in South Korea, featuring a program of solos, duets, and Mele (songs) of the native people of Hawai’i. Cassandra is excited to learn and contribute to the behind-the-scenes work of IHS and hopes to share her passion for horn, music, and community during her time here.

Alana is a dedicated horn player and educator currently pursuing her postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music. She holds an undergraduate degree in horn performance from the Eastman School of Music. Additionally, she spent a semester of study at the Sibelius Academy. In her position with the British Horn Society, she focuses on student engagement and accessibility. Alana has taught masterclasses at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and has taught private lessons as well as large groups.

As a teaching artist for multiple organizations she utilizes music as a powerful tool for community impact, such as her role with the Atlanta Music Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing music education to inner-city students. Alana has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Finland and more recently in the UK. Through her performances with Smart Party in Alabama, she helped raise over $200,000 for women in poverty.

In 2022, she co-created the Eastman Women in Music Festival and hosted The International Women's Brass Conference for a panel discussion. Alana also served on the Sibley Music Library Advisory Committee. Alana also has years of marketing experience which enhance her ability to promote music initiatives and projects.

Keilah Park, 17, is a junior at the Orange County School of the Arts who was born and raised in Orange County, California. She studies the French horn with Annie Bosler and Lisa Cherry. Since 6th grade, she has performed in many groups such as the California All-State Honor Ensemble, the Southern California Honor Ensemble, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble, Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Korean American Youth Symphony, and the South Coast Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Not only is she actively involved in musical group settings, she participates in various competitions. Her most recent award includes being a Semi-Finalist in the Music Center’s Spotlight. She was one of only 16 students that were selected out of 1,500 students (2024). In past years, awards include: 1st Place in the Expert Level Concerto Division and 2nd place in the Expert Level Solo Division for the Autumn Concours International de Musique Competition (2023), 2nd Place in the divisions of Baroque & Classical, Concerto, Free Choice, and Romantic & Impressionism in the Concours International de Musique Competition (2023), and 2nd Place in the Southwest Horn Competition (2022). She had the opportunity to perform in masterclasses with musicians such as Steve Becknell (2024) and Danielle Kulhmann (2022).

Keilah is also the co-president of her school’s Tri-M National Music Honors Society. She enjoyed her opportunity teaching younger students how to play different kinds of instruments through the Dragon Kim Foundation Music Program. In her free time, she enjoys collecting CD’s and playing the electric bass guitar. This is Keilah’s first year participating in the IHS Student Advisory Council and she is excited to be a part of this community where she hopes to bring more opportunities to young musicians.

Emily Riker is an aspiring music educator and horn player. She is currently pursuing degrees in music education and horn performance at University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music studying under Dr. Margaret Tung. Emily is originally from Stoughton, Massachusetts where she studied under Rachel Daly and John Mange. In 2023, Emily was selected as the recipient for the Paul M. Alberta Music Education Scholarship. Her horn solo, Forsaken Song was selected as the winner of the 2023 MMEA Southeastern Composition Contest. Emily is passionate about music advocacy in schools and hopes that her role on the Student Advisory Council will help bring the joy of music to more students.