One is not likely to truly appreciate the value of a professional union until one works outside of a union. In Ukrainian orchestras, there are rarely days off, and you can forget about resting your chops. There have been times when I have played 4 or 5 different concerts in the same week, but there is never a shortage of classical music in Ukraine. In fact, in Lviv alone—a city of just over 700,00 people—there are six full-time orchestras. My name is Linnie Hostetler, and I’m the principal hornist of the Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine. I want to tell you about my beloved Ukraine through my musical and cultural experiences over the past 5 years.

I will never forget the night I arrived in Ukraine. It was the first day of January—not hard to forget! Of course, they were having a cold spell that week, so high the temperature was around -7°F. But Ukraine is not a frozen, Siberian-like tundra (contrary to popular belief). Its climate is like that of the American northeast. Think New York. I didn’t know a single word in Ukrainian or how to read the Cyrillic alphabet when I arrived. While I learned the language very quickly, I can honestly say that there was no shortage of failures along the way. My first meal in Ukraine was pasta with ketchup because I couldn’t read the product labels and just chose a jar with tomatoes on it, assuming it was tomato sauce. I quickly developed the personal motto, “Never assume in Ukraine!” Learning from mistakes is the fastest way to learn (as we all know), but it’s not always enjoyable.

Musically, Lviv has been a dream for me. Fresh out of college—after years and years of practicing orchestral excerpts—I crossed off almost all the major symphonic works on my bucket list in a five-year period. I...

 in English

La grabación del concierto para orquesta y trompa de Mozart K.495 surgió como resultado final de un proyecto con la orquesta Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester en el verano del 2021. El proyecto consistía en una serie de conciertos relacionados con la Corte de Mannheim y la trompa. Cabe señalar que en el programa del concierto también se interpretó el concierto en Mi bemol de Franz Anton Dimmler, del cual Federico hizo la transcripción y edición directamente del manuscrito original (que se encuentra en IMSLP). Mozart fue rechazado como Kapellmeister por la orquesta de la corte de Mannheim, aunque luego los dirigió en Múnich con el estreno de su ópera Idomeneo. Con este pretexto se puede justificar la relación entre Mozart y la corte de Mannheim. Federico lleva trabajando en este concierto desde los 11 años y sigue descubriendo nuevos matices. Sin duda, la grabación de su maestro, Teunis van der Zwart con la Freiburguer Barockorchester, fue definitiva para encontrar su propia interpretación. También la grabación del recientemente fallecido Lowell Greer, a quien no tuvo el honor de conocer, fue una gran inspiración. https://youtu.be/onLMN-VFqwY

Federico Cuevas Ruiz nació en 1994 en Ibiza. Comenzó sus estudios de trompa a los 7 años en la Escuela Municipal de Música de Ibiza con el profesor Damián Boluda. En 2012 inicia sus estudios de Grado Superior en el

Real Conservartorio Superior de Música de Madrid con el profesor Elies Moncholí. Después de obtener la nota más alta en su examen final de graduación, en 2018 fue aceptado en el Conservatorium van Amsterdam para estudiar su maestría de trompa natural con el profesor Teunis van der Zwart. Allí se centró en estudiar y tocar la música del siglo XVIII. Graduado en 2018, ha tocado con orquestas como la Orquesta del Siglo XVIII, The Bach Choir & Orchestra of the Netherlands, Het Nationaal Jeugdorkest Nederland, Deutsche Händel-Solisten, etc.

Ab Koster, recently retired Professor of Horn at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater and former principal hornist of the NDR Symphony Orchestra, both in Hamburg, Germany, has generously served Horn and More for six years by soliciting numerous (at least 40) players and professionals to submit to our wonderful Pedagogy Column in nearly all issues since he took up the task. It is a staple feature in Horn and More which I have always anticipated and enjoyed. His professional connections have consistently brought us outstanding information from the best of our colleagues. Professor Koster is leaving us now, and we will miss him greatly in this capacity.

We are deeply grateful for you, Ab. On behalf of the International Horn Society and the readers of Horn and More, thank you for all you have given. 

Met oprechte en hartelijke dankbaarheid, beste Professor!
Mike Harcrow, Editor, Horn and More

Hello, Horn Community!

My name is Rachel Velvikis, and I am the core horn player for the all-women brass quintet, Seraph Brass. It is an honor to introduce both myself and the group to you.

Seraph’s goal is to encourage young women to pick up brass instruments. The reason for this is simple: people still, even in the 21st century, are sometimes shocked to see that women are as capable of playing brass instruments just as well as their male counterparts…or as loud as, or as long as…. We aspire to inspire.

Being in Seraph Brass has, in all honesty, saved my love of music, and it has helped me remember why I am a musician: the music has always been the reason to play. Music and the feelings we share together in it are sacred. If we can evoke an individual’s emotions through music, then I will always feel fortunate to perform with this group. If through Seraph I can inspire others to play an instrument, I will feel even more fulfilled.

Beyond our objectives, the repertoire is terrific! Here is Go by Anthony DiLorenzo—it’s one of my absolute favorite pieces to perform in concert: 

As we are also dedicated to commissioning pieces by women, here is the middle movement of Catherine McMichael’s Asteria (also the title of our award-winning album): 

Another great work commissioned by Seraph for this album is Renee Orth’s Leaguered in Fire, Lagooned in Gold. Asteria is available on all major streaming platforms.  

It would be our great honor if you would listen to our music and, if you are able, come see us in concert. We travel around the world, so the best way to find us is through the EVENTS listing on the Seraph Brass website.

If you would like to know more about me, please visit my personal website.

We hope to see you on the road!

Rachel

In English

em português

por Jorge Montoya y Gabriella Ibarra

-Concierto para Corno y orquesta  Op. 37 del maestro Eduardo Alonso Crespo-

En memoria del legendario Myron Bloom, el maestro argentino Eduardo Crespo ha compuesto este concierto para Scott Bohannon, cornista principal de la Orquesta Sinfónica de Entre Ríos y quien fuera alumno y amigo del maestro Bloom. Como homenaje el compositor plasmó en este hermoso concierto  lo que fueran los recuerdos vividos de Bohannon junto a su maestro Bloom.

La obra surge en 2019 como un encargo para la OSER. Durante el proceso de composición el maestro Myron Bloom fallece, por lo cual el segundo movimiento es una elegía a su memoria, al igual que lo hizo Anton Bruckner con su séptima sinfonía dedicando su segundo movimiento a la memoria de Richard Wagner.

La obra se estructuró en los tres movimientos tradicionales de un concierto, donde el compositor trabajó estrechamente con Bohannon en la definición del carácter de cada uno de ellos. El primer movimiento rescata el carácter heroico que asociamos con buena parte del repertorio sinfónico para corno. Por lo tanto, el primer movimiento explora los rasgos épicos habitualmente asociados a este instrumento y así, luego de una breve presentación del material básico, el movimiento se lanza al desarrollo de una intrépida marcha de carácter heroico en la que el solista avanza a través de las múltiples vicisitudes que se presentan en el camino, interactuando fluidamente con la orquesta. 

Para el segundo movimiento en particular, Scott quería rendir homenaje a su maestro, de allí que el segundo movimiento sea una elegía, un poema sin palabras in memoriam de Myron Bloom, el legendario cornista estadounidense...

Greetings from sunny South Texas!

It is with great pride that we have the opportunity to host the 54th International Horn Symposium here at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Hosting this event is a great honor for our University and the School of Music and it reflects the hard work and dedication of our music students, faculty, staff, and alumni. It is a very exciting time at Texas A&M-Kingsville as we have recently moved into our new state-of-the-art music facility. We hope that you will find our facilities accommodating and supportive of the many concerts, recitals, masterclasses, workshops, clinics, and exhibits featured during the IHS54 Conference.

Our sincere hope is that while you are visiting us in South Texas, you will feel the warmth of our people as well as the warmth of our semi-tropical climate. We are located in an area of Texas that is rich in culture and we hope that all of you will enjoy your visit with us! We are very proud of our horn professor, Dr. Jennifer Sholtis, for her leadership and organizational skills in putting together this wonderful conference. We will be offering numerous activities including professional, musical, cultural and social events.

So, as we say in Texas, "Y'all come!" We would love to see you here at IHS54 in August!

Sincerely,

Paul Hageman, Director
School of Music
Texas A&M University-Kingsville