Contributing Artists

Thomas Hiebert is Professor of Music at California State University, Fresno, where he has taught since 1987. He has concertized widely as a recitalist on both valved and natural horn (often with his wife, pianist Lenore Voth Hiebert). Dr. Hiebert has also performed as a member of the Boston Lyric Opera, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, Lincoln Symphony, and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. He currently performs with the chamber ensemble Moment Musical and the California State University, Fresno Faculty Brass Quintet. For many years he performed as principal horn of Fresno's Orpheus Chamber Ensemble and he has also performed as acting principal horn of the Fresno Philharmonic. 

Dr. Hiebert has publications in ”The Horn Call,” the ”Historic Brass Society Journal,” ”Early Music,” ”The Cambridge Companion to Brass Instruments,” and ”Perspectives in Brass Scholarship: Proceedings of the International Historic Brass Symposium, Amherst, 1995.” For ”The New Grove,” he has written or revised twelve biographical entries on horn players. Dr. Hiebert has given lectures and performances at national meetings of the American Musicological Society, the College Music Society, at many International Horn Society symposiums, as well as at international horn and brass conferences in Michaelstein and Essen, Germany, in Basel, Switzerland, and in Lyon, France.

Dr. Hiebert holds a DMA in horn performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a MM degree from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Douglas Hill and Verne Reynolds respectively. Other teachers include Charles Kavalovski, former principal horn of the Boston Symphony, and at the Cologne Conservatory, Eric Penzel. Dr. Hiebert previously taught at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He served as chair of the Department of Music at California State University, Fresno from 2006 to 2010.

Michael Simpson is a teacher, conductor, composer, and performing musician in  the Pacific Northwest United States. He holds bachelor degrees in Music and  Education, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Washington,  Seattle, where he studied horn with Christopher Leuba. Simpson studied jazz  improvisation with legendary saxophonist Don Lanphere, and has performed with  Karryn Allison, New York Voices, Bobby Shew, Bill Ramsay, Jiggs Whigham, Wycliffe  Gordon, Pete Christlieb, John Pizzarelli, the Jim Knapp Orchestra, Seattle Rock  Orchestra, the Long Winters, and Frank Sinatra, Jr.

Mike continues to explore improvisation in the horn world. He is a previous winner of the International Horn Symposium Jazz Horn competition, and has presented jazz improvisation performances at many NW Horn Symposia and International Horn Symposia. He has led improvisation workshops in Washington, Idaho, and California, and has composed works for horn ensemble, horn quartet, and horn soloist. In 2024, Mike became a member of the Washington Music Educators Hall of Fame.

During his horn studies with Mr. Crüts and Prof. E. Penzel, which he completed with honors, Willy Bessems was personally chosen by Maestro Sergiu Celibedache to be principal horn player in the 4^th Symphony of A. Bruckner at the Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival. This performance led to engagements at the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester with Maestro Franz Welser-Möst, substitute principal horn player with the Essener Philharmoniker from 1989 until 1991, and the same position from 1991 with the Gürzenich Orchester Köln. Mr. Bessems has worked with conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Paavo Berglund, Dimitry Kitaenko, Markus Stenz, Gustavo Dudamel, Sakari Oramo, and Andrés Orozco- Estrada.

He has played many symphony concerts and opera productions with the Gürzenich Orchester Köln. With the orchestra, he has travelled to Spain, Switzerland, Russia, Argentina, Korea, Japan, and China. Mr. Bessems can be heard on many CD recordings featuring  all of the symphonies of Mahler, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev.

He has taught horn at the Conservatory of Maastricht, The Netherlands since 1993.

Professor Gene Berger stands among the foremost horn artists and pedagogues of his generation, distinguished by a career that unites orchestral authority, recorded legacy, and enduring influence. As Professor of Horn at Ball State University and host of the 50th International Horn Symposium in 2018, he occupies a position of national and international distinction within the profession.

Professor Berger serves as Principal Horn of Orchestra Indiana and previously held the principal chair with the Southwest Florida Symphony, where he appeared as concerto soloist. His major orchestral appointments include the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and The Florida Orchestra, performing under many of the most respected conductors of our time. His artistry is preserved on numerous recordings with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Erich Kunzel and on Grammy Award-winning recordings of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paavo Järvi. These performances reflect a standard of precision, tonal depth, and musical integrity associated with the highest echelon of American orchestral playing.

Prior to joining Ball State University in 2010, Professor Berger served on the faculties of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Central Florida. His studio is recognized for its disciplined cultivation of sound, stylistic authority, and uncompromising artistic standards, preparing students for professional distinction across the field. Grounded in the great orchestral tradition and guided by a philosophy of clarity, refinement, and expressive depth, he represents a rare synthesis of performer, recording artist, and master teacher whose influence extends well beyond the institutions he serves.

Marilyn Bone Kloss played horn in her community orchestra for more than thirty years and is the ensemble’s music librarian. She earned BME and MM degrees at Indiana University, taught public school music, and freelanced, but later earned degrees in engineering and technical writing at Northeastern University and worked in software and writing before retiring. She is a lifetime IHS member, served two terms on the Advisory Council, is assistant editor on “The Horn Call,” and publishes the “Cornucopia” newsletter. 

Kaido Otsing studies and professional life as a horn player:

I started playing the French horn in 1973-74 in the Tartu Culture House Wind Orchestra (teacher Rein Sõlg).
1975 – Entered the Tartu Heino Eller named Music School (teacher Kaupo Antzon)
1976 – Started working in the Horn group of the Vanemuine Theatre Orchestra
1979 – Graduated from the Eller School, entered the Latvian J. Vitols State Conservatory (Arvids Klišans horn  
            class), from December I started working in the horn group of the Latvian Opera and Ballet Theatre
            Orchestra.
1982 – Started working in the Estonian National Opera Orchestra as the principal horn
1984 – Graduated from the conservatory in Riga
1989 – Started working as the principal horn of the Vanemuine Theatre Orchestra
2004 – Retired from principal horn
Oct. 2012  – Retired from the Vanemuine Orchestra

Teaching:

1989-2005 – Horn teacher at the Tartu I Music School (children music school)
1996-1998 – Lecturer (horn and ensemble playing) at the Estonian Academy of Music
1998 – Horn teacher at the Tartu H. Eller Music School (college)
1999-2004 – Lecturer (horn and ensemble playing) at the Estonian Academy of Music Tartu branch

About 36 students

Organizational activities:

Tartu Horn Days 1991-2005 (spring)
HanseHornFest 2005-2019 (summer)
Tabasalu Horn Days 2013 and onwards (horn pentathlon, in May)
Võru summer festivals from 1994 (August)

Dr. Lauren Hunt is the Linda VanSickle Smith French Horn Chair and Director of Brass Studies at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Her professional career began when she won first prize in the International Horn Competition of America in 2013. She performs regularly in the horn section of orchestras including Ballet West, Utah Symphony, Utah Festival Opera, and Artosphere Festival Orchestra. Hunt can be heard on an album of Beethoven’s chamber works for winds released in 2019 on the Naxos label. Other recent chamber music appearances include at the Marlboro Music Festival, Northern Neck Chamber Series, Norfolk Festival, Appalachian Chamber Music Festival, the Phoenix Chamber Music Festival, and a chamber recital at Carnegie Hall in 2017. Learn more at laurenhunthorn.com.

Australian horn player Carla Blackwood is Senior Lecturer in French Horn Performance and Associate Director in Individual Performance Studies at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music at the University of Melbourne. Carla maintains a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer in Australia and internationally. She is committed to the performance and promotion of new music, historically informed performance on early instruments, and chamber music at the highest level.

On historical natural horns, Carla is Principal Horn of the Orchestra of the Antipodes (Pinchgut Opera), the Australian Haydn Ensemble, and Genesis Baroque; her 2024 performance of Julius Caesar received critical acclaim. On modern horn, she performs regularly with leading Australian ensembles including the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Quercus Trio, Lyrebird Brass, Ensemble Liaison, the Australian Wind Quintet, and the Australia Ensemble, and is a frequent guest Principal Horn with symphony orchestras around Australia.

Prior to her appointment in Melbourne, Carla was Principal Horn of the Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck and Professor of Horn at the Tiroler Landeskonservatorium, Austria. She has appeared as guest Principal Horn with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden‑Baden und Freiburg, Camerata Salzburg, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and has held orchestral contracts throughout Australia and Europe.

Carla is an active researcher and recently completed her PhD, Making the French Horn Australian, the first history of the instrument in Australia. Her research champions Australian music for the horn. In 2023 she released a retrospective of Australian horn trios with Quercus Trio to critical acclaim on ABC Classic.

Ye Pan is Principal Horn of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and a performance psychology coach trained by Tony Robbins. His work bridges elite orchestral performance and mindset training, helping musicians and performers achieve lasting artistic and personal transformation.

Born in China, Ye Pan studied at the Central Conservatory of Music before continuing at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, where he completed his Master’s degree with highest distinction under the guidance of Kalervo Kulmala. He has performed internationally across Europe, the United States, and the Middle East, collaborating with renowned conductors including Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

From 2017 to 2021, he served as a French horn instructor at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Since 2017, he has also developed online horn and performance psychology programs, supporting a global community of more than 1,000 musicians in overcoming technical limitations, performance anxiety, and mental barriers.

Ye Pan focuses on the integration of high-level performance, mindset, and identity transformation, empowering musicians to build confidence, clarity, and sustainable peak performance on stage.

PIOTR POŻAKOWSKI - Graduate of the Academy of Music in Gdansk. Since 1993, he has been the hornist of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra in Gdansk, with which he has performed in many concerts in Poland and abroad. He regularly performs in solo recitals and chamber concerts.

He combines artistic activity with pedagogical work at the Music Schools in Gdynia and in Koszalin. From 2017-22, he led the horn class at the Academy of Arts in Szczecin. Since 2022, he has led the horn class at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk. His pupils and students have won more than 270 awards and distinctions in various national and international competitions.

For many years he has been invited to work on the jury of regional and nationwide music competitions. Since 2021, he has been a consultant of the Center for Art Education in Warsaw.

His scholarly interests are related to 19th-century Italian opera, the life and work of G. Rossini, as well as forgotten horn literature. In October 2024, his article on C.D. Lorenz was published in "The Horn Call," a quarterly of the International Horn Society in the United States.

Since 1999, he cooperates with the nationwide bi-weekly Ruch Muzyczny, for which he has prepared 88 reports on major musical events in the Gdansk region as well as opera performances in Poland and abroad (Pesaro, Bergamo, Naples, Zurich, Chicago, New York, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney). He is the author of several published arrangements or transcriptions of works for horn and chamber ensembles.

His last solo album, Horn Fantasy, recorded in 2018 with pianist Bożena Szull-Talar, contains the world's first recording of works for horn and piano by Carl Daniel Lorenz (1816-1866).

He received his doctorate at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk (2005) and his habilitation at the Academy of Music in Poznań (2019). For his artistic and pedagogical activity, he has been honored with many awards, including the badge Meritorious for Polish Culture (2009), the Individual Award of the Director of the Center for Art Education for his special contribution to the development of art education in Poland (2016), the Medal of the National Education Commission (2019), and the individual Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2025).

One day, while John Humphries was studying Musicology at Oxford University, his tutor looked skywards and sighed, “All your essays seem to have been written from the first horn chair!” John nodded enthusiastically, and replied, “Guilty as charged,” and nothing much has really changed since then. The great organologist Anthony Baines introduced him to the natural horn, which he went on to study at the Guildhall School of Music with Anthony Halstead, and he began researching the instrument’s history seriously. While John was still in his twenties, Barry Tuckwell asked him to prepare scores of concertos by Antonio Rosetti for a recording he was making for EMI. Further projects with Tuckwell followed, including a CD with Dame Joan Sutherland, and John’s reconstructions of Mozart’s incomplete horn concerto movements have been recorded many times by musicians including Anthony Halstead, Michael Thompson, Eric Ruske, Javier Bonet (conducted by Hermann Baumann), Tim Brown, Johannes Hinterholzer, and Stephen Stirling. 

His book, The Early Horn, was published in 2000 by Cambridge, and he was a member of the Advisory Board for The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Brass instruments, a contributor to the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Historical Performance in Music, and to Il Corno da Caccia: Musica a corte (ed. Renato Meucci). He has written for the Historic Brass Society Journal, “Brass Bulletin,” “The Horn Call,” and the British Horn Society’s “The Horn Player” magazine, as well as writing hundreds of CD booklets and programme notes. He has lectured at IHS workshops in Manchester, London and Valencia, for the HBS in Bern and online, and for the Galpin Society in Edinburgh.

John is also an arranger: his arrangements have been performed by groups such as The London Horn Sound, The Berlin Philharmonic Horns, The Wallace Collection, the Massed Horns of the British Horn Society, and groups of almost absolute beginners. He also teaches the horn, works as an examiner, and dabbles in instrument repair.

Dr. Zachary Cooper is a dedicated performer and educator and is passionate about cultivating the next generation of musicians. He frequently performs with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and is principal horn with the Carmel and Richmond (IN) Symphony Orchestras. His rich orchestral background includes performances with more than two dozen orchestras across North America. He frequently appears as a clinician and performing artist and has presented lectures and performances at the International Horn Symposium, International Women's Brass Conference, National Flute Association Convention, and International Trombone Festival, to name a few. Cooper is Assistant Professor of Horn and Music Theory at Butler University.

Dr. Nathan Dishman is a highly accomplished trombonist, educator, and recording artist. He is the single author of the method book, A Guide to Daily Maintenance for Trombone (Ensemble Publications), which has been the focal point of doctoral research projects both nationally and internationally. His solo album, Conversations, released by New Branch Records, garnered overwhelming acclaim in a 2019 review by the “International Trombone Journal.” Dr. Dishman has presented over thirty guest masterclasses at national and international venues around the world. He currently is associate professor of trombone at Iowa State University.

Entropy, a horn and trombone duo, is committed to commissioning diverse programming and fostering close-knit collaborations with rising composers. Entropy was a featured Contributing Artist at both the 2025 International Trombone Festival in London, Ontario, Canada and the 2024 MidSouth Horn Workshop in Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA and has premiered newly commissioned works, One More Mountain for horn, trombone, and piano by Amy Riebs Mills, Entropy…a degrading conversation about a degrading conversation for horn and trombone by BBC Film composer Austin Hammonds, and Heartland, a duo concerto with wind ensemble, by David Wilborn.

For over four decades, Randall Faust has been active in The International Horn Society, as a Composer, and a Hornist, as well as service in various roles from Composition Project Coordinator to President. The International Horn Society honored him with the Punto Award in 2009, and he was elected an IHS Honorary Member in 2016.

As a hornist, he has performed as a soloist as well as in various ensembles including the Camerata Woodwind Quintet—whose recording of Quintet No. 2 by Anthony Iannaccone may be heard on Crystal Records. His recording, Fantasies on American Themes, includes the horn music of William Presser, as well as several of his own compositions. Having taught at three different universities, (Shenandoah, Auburn, and Western Illinois University), as well as at Interlochen, he is quite proud of his students—many of whom have developed substantial teaching and performing careers of their own.

The compositions of Randall Faust are heard on various recording labels including MSR Classics, Summit Records, Crystal Records, Albany Records, and ACA Digital Recordings One review described his music in the following fashion:

“Faust’s music as presented here searches into the unfathomable realms of what moves us, and…in this release has struck the proverbial chord, and the result is both joyful and celebratory.”  Fanfare.  July 2007 review of CELEBRATION: THE HORN MUSIC OF RANDALL FAUST

For more details see faustmusic.com and his Honorary Member page.

After his diploma at the Conservatorio “A. Casella” in L’Aquila, he continued his studies from 2001 to 2006, at Scuola di Musica di Fiesole (FI) with Guido Corti and he participated in masterclasses with Jonathan Williams, Michael Hoeltzel, Luca Benucci, Andrea Conti, Dale Clevenger, and Barry Tuckwell. He graduated with full marks at the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali “O. Vecchi-A. Tonelli” in Modena with Luca Benucci and Stefano Giorgini. He refined his skills with Guglielmo Pellarin at the “Santa Cecilia Music Master” of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. 

He also graduated in Modern and Contemporary Music History from the D.A.M.S. at the  University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” with full marks (110 cum laude), and received the  “Premio di laurea Sebastiano e Rita Raeli” as one of the best graduates of the year. After orchestral training with the Italian Youth Orchestra, he collaborated with many orchestras including Officina Musicale, Solisti Aquilani, Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese, Orchestra Regionale di Roma e del Lazio, Teatro Marrucino di Chieti, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “Giuseppe Verdi,” Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestra dell’Opera di Roma, Orchestra Sinfonica “Haydn” di Bolzano e Trento, Orchestra Regionale Toscana, Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana, Orchestra della Fondazione Lirico Sinfonica Petruzzelli e Teatri di Bari, Colibrì Ensemble, Orchestra Mozart, Orchestra Nazionale della Rai, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. 

An active chamber musician, he participated with the “I Fiati di Parma” and the “European  Wind Soloists” in numerous national and international festivals and music events. He performed in recordings for Naxos, Eloquentia, Amadeus, Deutsche Grammophon, Armonia Mundi, and Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana. 

From 2022 to 2024, he was a horn teacher at the “F. Vittadini” Conservatory in Pavia and is currently a horn teacher at the “G. Tartini” Conservatory in Trieste.

Matt Monroe is Principal Horn of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and Artist in Residence at Valdosta State University. He was previously Professor of Horn at Jacksonville University. Professor Monroe grew up in Portland, Oregon and has held the position of Second Horn with the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra since 1999. He recorded with the Oregon Bach Festival on their Grammy Award winning première of Krzysztof Penderecki's Credo and taught at Oregon State University. He was in residence there with the Arrieu Wind Quintet, performing around Oregon and touring throughout China.

He spent a decade in Chicago where he was a member of the Millar Brass Ensemble and performed with the Illinois Symphony, Madison Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Chicago Opera Theatre, Grant Park Orchestra, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago among others. He has also played with the Jacksonville Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony, Eugene Symphony, and the Oregon Symphony. Professor Monroe is a Denis Wick artist.

He attended Arizona State University, the University of Oregon, and Northwestern University, and traveled to festivals in Austria, France, and Canada. His primary teachers were William Barnewitz, Thomas Bacon, Ellen Campbell, William Stalnaker, and Gail Willilams. Professor Monroe currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida where he maintains a private teaching studio and performs with the Jacksonville Brass Quintet.

Michelle Stebleton joined the Florida State University faculty in 1990 as the first woman horn (and brass) professor in its history. She was one of the first women to hold such a position in the largest university programs in the country. Having been awarded multiple teaching awards and large research grants—the most recent a sabbatical—she has written a new method book that is in pre-publication entitled The Stebletones Method: Integrating Relaxation into Playing.

Her musically centered solo and chamber performances can be heard on four compact discs with MSR Classics: Harambee: The Horn Works of Paul Basler; Marathon, a groundbreaking recording of unaccompanied music for horn; and MirrorImage at the Opera and MirrorImage on Safari, recordings of her horn duo with Lisa Bontrager. MirrorImage has revived the Classical tradition in this century through dozens of commissions and premieres for two horns and piano. 

Professor Stebleton is a six-time prize winner in various divisions of the American Horn Competition (now the International Horn Competition of America). She has traveled the globe as a chamber artist and clinician, having performed regularly as a soloist and clinician in the Dominican Republic, Paraguay and the Czech Republic. In demand as a clinician, she has performed and lectured at dozens of International Horn Symposiums, including those of the IHS, Switzerland, Panamá, and Bolivia, as well as at universities across the U.S. and abroad. She has, over the years, held four terms on the International Horn Society Advisory Council, and serves on the Advisory Board of the International Horn Competition of America.

She holds an undergraduate and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Louis J. Stout and Lowell Greer. She holds a diploma from the Prague Mozart Academy.

Tommi Hyytinen is a Finnish horn soloist, chamber musician, pedagogue, and composer. He is one of the most versatile horn players of his generation. He specializes in both the performance of contemporary music and the playing of period instruments. Hyytinen works as a horn player with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and as a teacher of horn and natural horn at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. In addition, he is a member of the Finnish Baroque Orchestra. Hyytinen earned his Doctor of Music degree from the Sibelius Academy in 2009. The topic of his artistic doctoral dissertation was Romantic-era horn music.

An active chamber musician, Hyytinen has appeared as a chamber musician at numerous festivals in Finland and abroad. He is actively involved in the field of contemporary music and has premiered, among others, seven Finnish horn concertos. He has released three solo albums on the Pilfink Records label, all of which have received excellent reviews. Hyytinen is a sought-after pedagogue and lecturer both in Finland and internationally. In addition to his work as a musician, Hyytinen is a certified Pilates instructor and specializes in guiding musicians in the use of their bodies. His comprehensive horn method Playing from the Core, was published in 2021. Currently, Hyytinen is a member of the Advisory Council of the International Horn Society.

Dr. Layne Anspach is a lecturer of chamber music at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He also lectures at regional and international conferences – recent highlights include the 2024 International Horn Symposium at Colorado State University, USA and the 2025 International Double Reed Society Conference at Butler University, USA.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Anspach performs with a variety of chamber music groups. Most notably, he founded and manages Ivory Winds, a mixed chamber ensemble of piano and winds. He also co-founded and performs with 10° Trio: a horn, trombone, and piano ensemble. Alongside chamber performing, Dr. Anspach is a freelance musician, regularly performing in studios and orchestras.

Dr. Anspach’s interests and expertise also include researching and writing about chamber music. His regular column, Chamber Music Corner, is found in the International Horn Society’s “Horn and More.” Among other music editions, Dr. Anspach published a new edition and piano reduction of Franz Strauss’ Concerto No. 2, Op. 14 for horn and piano, which won 1^st Prize in its category at the 2024 Paul Revere Awards. His music editions can be found at songburdmusic.com.

Dr. Anspach holds a Doctor of Music degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. Prior to that, he completed a Master of Music degree from Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University. His teachers include Richard Seraphinoff, Thomas Jöstlein, Bruce Henniss, Dr. Lin Foulk Baird, and Debra Inglefield. 

While not focusing on music, Anspach enjoys spending time with his family. His hobbies include reading, fishing, traveling, and following sports.

McBain Brass was formed by husband-wife team Katherine and Jeremy McBain in 2001. With many transcriptions and commissions in their shared repertoire, they have performed at several International brass conferences, including IHS 44, IHS 50, IHS 56, and ITG 2025. McBain Brass’ debut album will be recorded in 2026.

An active performer and recitalist, Katherine McBain has performed with various orchestras across the U.S., including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and the Round Top International Institute Festival Orchestra.

Katherine earned a DMA in Horn Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in 2008. She previously earned a Master of Music degree from Eastman and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Houston. McBain has taught at the University level since 2005, having held posts at Eastern Illinois University, Lamar University, Stephen F. Austin State University, University of Texas at Tyler, University of Rochester, and Nazareth College. Currently, she teaches Horn, Brass Pedagogy, and is the Brass Chamber Music Coordinator at the University of North Texas.

Jeremy McBain teaches Trumpet and Brass chamber music at the University of Texas at Tyler. Prior to his appointment, he taught at Eastern Illinois University, Millikin University (IL), and Saint Mary’s College (IN). Jeremy is active as a freelance trumpeter throughout Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. He joined the Texarkana Symphony as principal trumpet in Fall of 2016, and has also performed with the Bach Society of Houston, Shreveport Symphony, East Texas Symphony, Baroque Artists of Champaign (IL), Michigan Chamber Brass, and the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico. McBain was granted the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois in 2012, preceded by his Master of Music and Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Michigan and the University of Houston, respectively.

Mischa Greull is a Swiss horn player, pedagogue, and performance specialist with a distinguished career as orchestral musician and educator. He is Professor of Horn and Chamber Music at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), where he is actively involved in the artistic and professional development of young musicians at bachelor, master, and postgraduate levels.

In addition to his work as a horn professor, Mischa Greull serves as a lecturer in Music Physiology and Performance Training at ZHdK. In this role, he focuses on the physical and mental demands of musical performance, addressing topics such as healthy practice habits, prevention of performance-related injuries, efficient movement, breathing, concentration, and sustainable performance strategies. His teaching combines scientific insight with practical experience from a high-level performing career.

For many years, Mischa Greull was Principal Horn of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Switzerland’s leading symphony orchestra. In this position, he collaborated with internationally renowned conductors and soloists and participated in numerous concert tours, recordings, and major symphonic productions. His orchestral work has had a lasting influence on his artistic perspective and pedagogical approach.

As a chamber musician and orchestral player, Mischa Greull has performed in a wide range of stylistic contexts, with a particular interest in ensemble playing, sound culture, and musical communication. These aspects form a central part of his teaching philosophy, both in individual instruction and in chamber music coaching.

Mischa Greull is highly regarded for his holistic approach to music education, integrating artistic excellence, technical clarity, and physical awareness. Through his combined activities as performer, professor, and performance trainer, he contributes significantly to the training of versatile, resilient, and reflective professional musicians.

James Boldin is Professor of Music at the University of Louisiana Monroe, where he holds the Emy-Lou Biedenharn Endowed Chair in Music. He is active as a soloist and chamber musician, and has commissioned and premiered numerous compositions. He has authored three etude books dozens of articles, reviews, and musical arrangements, and currently serves as Publications Editor for The International Horn Society. He is proud to be a Yamaha Performing Artist. jamesboldin.com

American horn player and educator Christopher Brigham currently lives in Cologne, Germany, with an active freelance career and private teaching studio. Christopher obtained his bachelor’s degree in Horn Performance from the University of Hartford in 2013 under David Wakefield, master’s degree in Solo Performance at the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen with Frank Lloyd until 2017, and master’s degree in Orchestral Performance with Norbert Stertz and Jan Golebiowski at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, completed in 2021.

Steven Cohen is an award-winning hornist who has performed internationally as a solo, orchestral, Broadway, and chamber musician. Hailing from New York, he is in demand as a recital soloist and has been a featured and guest artist at musical events throughout the world. A prizewinner in numerous competitions, in 2025, Cohen was named “Hornist of the Year” in the European Classical Music Awards’ Annual Grand Prix, as well as a finalist for the American Prize in Music as an instrumental soloist in 2024. He was featured on WQXR's Young Artists Showcase, presenting one of only three full-length horn recitals in the program's history. Cohen was Principal Horn with The New 25th Anniversary Production of Les Misérables and can be seen with Mannheim Steamroller on their latest release, Mannheim Steamroller Live.

A proponent for the creation of new music, Cohen has commissioned and premiered over 60 works over the last decade from a distinguished collective of composers. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of NU CORNO, the premiere international horn ensemble for the creation of new music for the genre. Since 2015, the ensemble has been featured at numerous International Horn Symposia, presenting programs of new works and cherished repertoire which the ensemble has introduced, as well as expanding the repertoire to include works for jazz horns and full symphonic arrangements. In 2024, NU CORNO created an immersive performance experience for college students to gain real world performance experience through the ensemble’s mission. Outside of NU CORNO, Cohen has commissioned some of the most important works for the horn since the 20th century. His debut album, Cruise Control, features the world premieres of five major works for horn, and has been heralded as "a musical and technical tour de force." In 2022, Cohen collaborated with award-winning composer Kevin Day, premiering his horn concerto, Windborne.

Cohen's love of the horn extends far beyond being a performer. As a lecturer, he has presented scholarships at numerous International Horn Symposia, various national workshops, and universities worldwide. Aside from his presentations, Cohen is sought after as a clinician having presented masterclasses internationally.

Cohen holds a Master of Music and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His principal teachers include Dr. Alan Mattingly, Philip Myers, and R. Allen Spanjer.

Tadeusz Tomaszewski – born 1976, french horn player.

He graduated from S. Moniuszko music school and K. Szymanowski music school in Katowice. As a secondary school student, he was awarded at many reviews and wind instrument competitions – in Częstochowa and Opole, among others. As a member of a wind quintet, he placed 2nd in the Chamber Music Competition in Wrocław in 1992. In 1994m he won 3rd prize at the 1st National Young French Horn Players Festival in Łódź. In 1995, he participated in musical workshops at the International French Horn Festival in Budapest.

While at the Academy of Music in Kraków, he participated in the courses held as part of the International Bach Academy, hosted by H. Rilling in Stuttgart and in workshops dedicated to chamber and orchestral music in Sweden. In 1998, as a member of a wind quintet, he won 3rd prize at the International K. Bacewicz Chamber Music Competition and 2nd prize at the 2nd National Young French Horn Players Festival in Łódź. He also received the Minister of Culture and Art scholarship. In 2000, he graduated from the Academy of Music in Kraków, where he was in the class of senior lecturer Kazimierz Pamuła.

He worked with the Capella Cracoviensis, Sinfonietta Cracovia, and Sinfonia Varsovia orchestras. He is currently employed in the National Polish Radio Symphonic Orchestra in Katowice as First horn and is a member of the Kraków Wind Quintet and Silesian Trio.

He is an active teacher. From 2003-2006 he was a French horn teacher in the Stanisław Moniuszko General Primary and Secondary State Music School in Bielsko-Biała. Since 2012, he has taught at the Academy of Music in Kraków where he achieved the title Habilitated Doctor of Musical Arts in 2019 and in 2020, took the position of university professor AMK.

Renée Vogen is the newly appointed Assistant Professor of Horn at Texas State University where she leads a studio of enthusiastic, collaborative and dedicated horn students. Prior to moving to Texas, Renée was the Instructor of Horn at Northern Illinois University, a core member of the Chicago Philharmonic, and a sought after freelancer in the Chicagoland area. 

Renée has performed with leading American ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Grant Park Orchestra.

Renée has taught and performed worldwide, serving as a teaching fellow alongside Yo-Yo Ma at the Youth Music Culture Guangdong in Guangzhou, China in 2020, appearing with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in Reykjavík as a substitute musician in 2018 and performing in the Gil Evans Chamber Jazz Ensemble at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy in 2012. 

Renée can be heard playing Florence Price’s Octet for Brasses and Piano and Adoration on Her Song (One Voice Records, 2024).

Previously, Renée was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago under the mentorship of Daniel Gingrich. She earned her Master’s degree in horn performance from DePaul University studying with James Smelser and her Bachelor’s in horn performance, Performer’s Certificate, and Arts Leadership Certificate from the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of W. Peter Kurau.

Born and raised in San Carlos, Venezuela, Elizabeth Linares Montero is a horn player trained initially in the internationally renowned El Sistema program. She currently serves as Horn Resident Fellow of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she also works as a Teaching Artist with YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) and serves on the French Horn Faculty of the YOLA National Festival. Most recently, she was part of the recording orchestra for the soundtrack of Avatar: Fire and Ash.

As an orchestral musician, she has performed with ensembles such as the San Diego Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Cincinnati Symphony, as well as the Verbier Festival Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra Academy, under conductors including Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Simon Rattle, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, among others.

As a chamber musician, Elizabeth won the Bronze Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition with SONARSIX (2022) and earned First Place of The American Prize, Chamber Music Performance – Professional Brass Division, as a member of BRASS CONNECTION (2025). She has also shared the stage with Noah Bendix-Balgley, She-e Wu, Clive Greensmith, and Andrew Bain, among others.

Elizabeth studied under Prof. Will Sanders at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe, and later Andrew Bain at the Colburn School in Los Angeles.

Dr. Shires is an invited featured artist around the world, with a love for travel and sharing brass pedagogy. He has twice been an International Visiting Professor at the University of Taipei, Taiwan; a resident artist at East China Normal University in Shanghai; and also at Tianjin Conservatory. He gives regular performances as Guest Principal Horn with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia; has been a featured artist at the 2nd International Albanian Brass Festival in Tirana, Albania, and at the 2025 World Brass Conference in Ravenna, Italy. He has performed and taught throughout Europe and the U.S.A., both as a soloist and with Pinnacle Brass, the resident quintet of the University of Central Arkansas.  

Brent’s home is Conway, Arkansas, where he serves as Associate Professor of Horn at the University of Central Arkansas. He is also the adjunct horn instructor at Hendrix College and Central Baptist College. He holds the positions of Third Horn in the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Acting Principal Horn of the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, Principal Horn in the Conway Symphony Orchestra, and substitute with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Brent is also known for his jazz and music theater work, and is on-call in Little Rock performing with national touring shows such as Wicked, Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables.

Brent earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from State University of New York at Potsdam, and the Master of Horn Performance and Pedagogy from Northern Illinois University. His teachers include W. Peter Kurau, Roy Schaberg, Norman Schweikert, and John Fairfield. In completing the D.M.A. in Horn from the University of Illinois, Brent wrote the first treatise on original solo works for horn and wind band, under the direction of Dr. Kazimierz Machala. He serves on the Board of Advisors for the International Horn Competition of America, and is a regular coordinator and adjudicator for many competitions. Brent also serves the International Horn Society as Regional Workshop Coordinator.

Abby Black is the newly appointed Principal Horn of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Prior to joining Lyric, she was a Horn Fellow at the New World Symphony and previously held positions with Central City Opera, Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Axiom Brass, and Millar Brass.

Abby has performed with many of the nation’s leading ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and Chicago Opera Theater.

Her summer festival appearances include Central City Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Brevard Music Center, Chautauqua Institution, and the National Music Festival.

While at New World Symphony, Abby co-founded Sisters in Sound, a digital platform dedicated to celebrating the works of women composers and expanding the brass canon through free arrangements and recordings.

In addition to her performance career, Abby has been deeply engaged in music education. Her past teaching experience includes serving as Winds and Brass Coach for the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras’ Debut Orchestra and as Horn Instructor at The People’s Music School and Carthage College.

Abby earned her Bachelor of Music in Performance and Music Education from the Eastman School of Music, and her Master’s degree and Post-Master’s Certificate from DePaul University. She was also a Horn Fellow with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago under the baton of Ken-David Masur. Her primary teachers include Jim Smelser, Oto Carrillo, W. Peter Kurau, Daniel Gingrich, and Neil Kimel.

Rebecca Dodson-Webster lives in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania (USA) where she serves as Professor of Horn and Music History at Mansfield University. A sought-after orchestral soloist and teacher, she has been Principal Horn in the Endless Mountain Music Festival since its first season. She is also a member of the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes and the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra. Former orchestral affiliations and performances include Orchestra Nova, Westmoreland Symphony, Washington-Idaho Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and Wheeling Symphony. Her horn teachers include Douglas Hill, Soren Hermansson, Martin Smith, John Cerminaro, and Terri Winger. 

Rebecca's solo CD, Music for Horn and Piano, is available on Centaur Records. Called "a true Mozart soprano," (Robert Page, WQED Pittsburgh) she has also performed as a vocal soloist and chorister in the United States and Europe, appearing with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Lorin Maazel on a recording of Wagner's Ring Without Words. She has been featured as a soloist at International Horn Society conferences and workshops in many locations, including most recently Canada, Florida, Kansas City, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and North Carolina.