Artists

This year the Western U.S. Horn Symposium is pleased to present these artists.

Julie Landsman

Julie Landsman held the position of Principal Horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for 25 years until her retirement in 2010. She now enjoys a wide variety of musical activities, including performances with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, of which she is the newest member. A former member of the Houston Symphony, she has performed as a guest artist with the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra in San Diego, the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed as a chamber musician at many festivals and concert series, including Marlboro Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, and Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she appeared as a guest artist with the Guarneri Quartet. She performs and teaches during the summer at Aspen Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, and Music Academy of the West. Ms. Landsman holds teaching positions at the Juilliard School and Bard College, and teaches frequently as a guest at the Curtis Institute. She has given master classes at such distinguished institutions as Colburn School, Curtis Institute, Eastman School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, University of Oklahoma, and University of Southern Mississippi. She recently received the "Pioneer Award" from the International Women's Brass Conference and was a featured artist at the International Horn Society Conference in 2012.

Genghis Barbie

Genghis Barbie, the leading post-feminist all-female horn experience, is the most innovative and energizing chamber ensemble of its generation and beyond. With a combined 24 years of conservatory training, Genghis Barbie delivers a musical adventure of arrangements of pop music from the 70's through today. In a moment of ingenuity, the women who became known as Freedom Barbie, Cosmic Barbie, Velvet Barbie and Attila the Horn converged into Genghis Barbie and created a distinctive performance experience. In addition to their busy New York City performing schedule, Genghis Barbie recently performed at the 2011 International Horn Society Symposium in San Francisco and performed Schumann's Konzertstuck with the Southern Methodist University Wind Ensemble. As educators, they have toured numerous universities, presenting workshops, masterclasses and lectures on musical entrepreneurship. They have released two studio albums: the self-titled debut album Genghis Barbie, and the newly released holiday album Genghis Barbie: Home for the Holidays on Sublyme Records.

Danielle Kuhlmann, aka Velvet Barbie, has traveled the world, performing in symphony orchestras and chamber music concerts. She completed her undergraduate studies with Jerome Ashby at the Juilliard School and pursued graduate studies at Rice University with Bill VerMeulen. She is currently a freelance musician in New York and an avid interpreter of new music. In addition to classical performances, Ms. Kuhlmann can be heard playing various Broadway shows in New York, as well as many television, video game and major motion picture soundtracks.

Leelanee Sterrett, aka Cosmic Barbie, is a Northern Michigan native and grew up in a musically enthusiastic family. After attending Interlochen Arts Academy, she earned degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as a student of Douglas Hill, and the Yale School of Music, with William Purvis. From 2010 to 2012, Leelanee was a fellow of The Academy -- a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. During her time as a fellow, Leelanee performed regularly on the stages of Carnegie Hall and othert venues. Her playing experience includes the New York Philharmonic, summers spent at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Pacific and Sarasota Music festivals, and the National Orchestral Institute.

Alana Vegter, aka Freedom Barbie, is a graduate of The Juilliard School in New York where she currently resides and performs. Alana was most recently a fellow of The Academy-A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute. Vegter received her Bachelors of Music from DePaul University in the studio of Jon Boen and her Masters of Music from the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Julie Landsman. She performs regularly with her woodwind quintet, Sospiro Winds, The Jupiter Chamber Players, and The Metropolis Ensemble. She has also played with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and The Orchestra of St. Luke's and has performed in both orchestral and chamber music settings with the Spoleto Festival USA, Pacific Music Festival (Japan), and Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Germany).

Wei-Ping Chou, aka Sunshine Barbie, a native of Taiwan, began playing at the age of nine. She went on to earn degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and then the Juilliard School. Her primary teachers have been Jerome Ashby and Julie Landsman. In 2007, while still completing her Artist Diploma, Wei-Ping was appointed Acting Assistant Principal Horn of the San Diego Symphony. Her experience as an orchestral performer includes work with conductors James Levine, Kurt Masur, David Robertson, and John Williams. Wei-Ping is an alumna of the Marlboro Music Festival, Verbier Festival, the Tanglewood Music Center, and the Music Academy of the West. Crossing over into popular music, she has backed up Leann Rimes, Liza Minnelli, Diane Warwick, Burt Bacharach, and Kool and the Gang.

MirrorImage

MirrorImage has been featured in international venues and on the recordings that they spearheaded: "Harambee: The Horn Music of Paul Basler", and their title album, "MirrorImage at the Opera", both released on the MSR Classics label. Multifaceted musicians and professional teachers, they offer versatile programming in solo, chamber and educational settings; through their outreach, they have performed many recitals throughout the U.S. and Europe, and double concerti with several orchestras. They have commissioned works by Eric Ewazen, Paul Basler, Raymond Chase, Mark Schultz, Luis Szaran, Laurence Lowe and Gina Gillie (whose work will be presented at the W.U.S.H.S 2013. Their perfectly blended sound and style comes from the training they received at the University of Michigan; both are products of the famous Louis J. Stout horn studio.

Lisa Bontrager has performed and given master classes throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan, touring with the Pennsylvania Quintet, Millennium Brass, and MirrorImage. Lisa has been a featured artist at the 2010 International Women's Brass Conference and the 2007 Southeast Horn Workshop. Currently she is Distinguished Professor of Music at Penn State University, where she received the 2008 Faculty Scholar Medal for the Arts and Humanities. She is principal horn of the Pennsylvania Centre Orchestra and tenor hornist of the Brass Band of Battle Creek. She appears on nearly 20 recordings, including her solo CD, "Hunter's Moon," on the Summit label.

Michelle Stebleton has performed worldwide as a soloist, chamber artist, and clinician. Michelle is featured on three recent CDs. She has performed as a soloist at IHS conferences, served on the IHS Advisory Council, and continues to work on several committees. She has served as a clinician at the 1994 First International Swiss Horn Workshop and at three Interpreter's Horn Courses in the Czech Republic. Michelle has shared second prize in both the Professional and Natural Horn divisions of the American Horn Competition. She teaches at Florida State University and has won two teaching awards.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor has been an active LA recording studio Horn player and soloist for over thirty years. Mr. O'Connor has been involved in recording over 2,000 film scores in over thirty years that he has participated as a first-call Los Angeles Studio Recording Musician. He studied Horn and music with Paul Tafoya in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was born and raised, and concertized as a soloist with the Highland High Wind Ensemble, the Albuquerque Youth Symphony and the New Mexico All State Orchestra. He studied significantly with Robert Elworthy, Principal Horn of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra; Philip Farkas at Aspen, the Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony under Fritz Reiner; and James Stagliano, the venerable Principal Horn of the Boston Symphony for around 40 years and the Professor of Horn at the New England Conservatory, which O'Connor attended on scholarship. Brian continued his studies at the California Institute of the Arts, and with internationally renowned solo studio Horn player Vincent DeRosa, and graduated in 1973. He continued to study for ten more years with Mr. DeRosa. O'Connor has built a unique and vibrant system of Horn playing based on all of his studies and significant professional experience.

The Horns of The Army Ground Forces Band

We will be enlightened and impressed with the horn section who will perform and educate us in surprising ways. Don't miss this one!! The Concert Band maintains a large and varied repertoire that includes all facets of traditional and contemporary wind literature, as well as orchestral transcriptions, marches, instrumental and vocal solos, popular tunes and patriotic music. The band has traveled throughout the United States, performing in such notable halls as Severance Hall, Spivey Hall, and the Woodruff Arts Center. Publicly recognized for its musical excellence, the band has twice been awarded the internationally acclaimed Col. George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands. The musicians of the Concert Band are among the best in the Army Band Program, with many having studied music at some of the finest universities and conservatories, both in the United States and abroad. The band's members frequently share their talents with music students of all ages through The Army Ground Forces Band's education outreach program.

Chris Castellanos

Chris has promised an appearance after his return from Asia with the Boston Brass. A lifelong resident of Las Vegas, Chris received his formal education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His primary teachers include Ed Jackson, Lynn Huntzinger Beck, Beth Lano and Bill Bernatis.

Chris is a former member of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, with whom he has also been a soloist. In addition to the Philharmonic, Chris has served as hornist for the Nevada Chamber Orchestra, Nevada Wind Ensemble, Las Vegas Jazz Connection, and the TAD Wind Symphony of Japan.

As a top call freelancer, Chris has backed countless headliners on the Las Vegas Strip. Most notably - Frank Sinatra Jr., Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Peter Cetera, Peabo Bryson, Kenny G, Sheena Easton, Robert Goulet, Olivia Newton-John, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Mannheim Steamroller, Yes, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Charlotte Church, and David Foster ("Hit Man" live album and DVD). He also played a few tours with Andrea Bocelli.

As an educator, Chris has performed and given master classes and clinics in every state of the US, as well as 16 countries. These include The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory of Music, The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic and the Texas Bandmasters Association, to name but a few. Chris currently holds the solo horn position with the prestigious Boston Brass, with whom he tours the world for almost half the year.

Prior to joining Boston Brass, Chris toured for six years as the solo horn with the Dallas Brass.

John McGuire

John McGuire has advanced to the final round of the American Horn Competition as well as winning many regional competitions. He received his BM in Music Performance from the University of Alabama, his MM in Performance from Florida State University, and a Performer's Certificate from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago. He completed his D.M.A. at the University of Alabama in December of 2012. His major professors were Charles "Skip" Snead, William Capps and Dale Clevenger. John has served as Adjunct Instructor of Horn at the University of Alabama, Mississippi State University, Appalachian State University, Texas Women's University, the Music Institute of Chicago, Florida A&M University and is currently Special Assistant Professor of Horn at Colorado State University. John has performed with many orchestras around the country, most notably the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Opera, the Fort Worth Symphony, the New World Symphony (Miami, Fl.), and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Jeff Snedeker

Jeffrey Snedeker has served the IHS in many capacities, including as President and current Book and Music Reviews Editor. He has taught at Central Washington University since 1991. In 2012, he received CWU's highest honor, Distinguished University Professor for Service, and was also selected as the WMEA Higher Education Music Educator of the Year. He is principal horn of the Yakima Symphony and has performed on five continents. He has released four CDs and published over 50 articles in The Encyclopaedia of Popular Music, The Horn Call, Historic Brass Society Journal, Music Educators Journal, and The New Grove Dictionary.

Bill Bernatis

Bill Bernatis is currently associate professor of horn at UNLV, principal horn with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, assistant principal horn with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and is on the faculty of the Chautauqua School of Music. Previously, Bernatis was assistant professor of Horn at Del Mar College in Texas, Baylor University in Texas, and Ithaca College in New York. His performing background includes a wealth of orchestral, chamber music, studio recording, and commercial experience. His teachers include John Iltis, William Scharnberg, and Philip Farkas. After receiving his Bachelor of Music from Washburn University, Bernatis taught music in public school, then went on to earn his Master of Music at Indiana University and pursue doctoral studies at the University of North Texas.

Brent Shires

Brent Shires is the IHS Area Representative for Arkansas and the IHS Regional Workshop Coordinator. He is a professor at University of Central Arkansas, and in summers he teaches at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and Dixie Band Camp. He holds positions with the Arkansas Symphony, Conway Symphony and Pine Bluff Symphony; the Arkansas Repertory Theatre; and Pinnacle Brass. He has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and China and has held orchestral positions with the Green Bay and Manitowoc Symphonies, the Classical Music Festival (Austria), and other orchestras in Illinois. Dr. Shires holds degrees from SUNY Potsdam, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois. His primary research area is studying original works for solo horn and wind band.

Peter Iltis

Peter Iltis holds a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Kansas, and is Professor of Kinesiology and Horn at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts. Iltis was a free-lance horn player in the Boston area holding the principal horn position in the Lexington Symphony from 1998-2001, but was diagnosed with career-ending embouchure dystonia in 2001. Iltis serves as the Medical and Scientific Issues Editor for the Horn Call, the journal of the International Horn Society. His current research on embouchure dystonia focusses on the intersection between physiologic mechanisms and psychological correlates, such as performance anxiety.

Elliott Higgins

Elliott Higgins is the founder of the American Horn Competition - now called the International Horn Competition of America. He is known as a pedagogue extraordinaire and is a graduate of University of New Mexico. He has performed with numerous orchestras and was Hornist with the Santa Fe Opera for a number of years. Mr. Higgins served as Conductor of the Albuquerque Philharmonic for more than a decade. Currently he is the Music Director of Hummingbird Music Camp and is the founder and director of Hornswoggle (annual horn Workshop) from its inception to the present.

Annie Bosler

Annie Bosler is a freelance musician in Los Angeles, a member of the Los Angeles Horn Quartet, and teacher of horn at UC Irvine, The Colburn School of the Performing Arts, Idyllwild Arts Academy, and El Camino College. Bosler graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in 2008 from the University of Southern California. Annie travels around the world lecturing about wellness for musicians. She also produced and directed 1M1: Hollywood Horns of the Golden Years, a film documentary about the history of Los Angeles studio horn players which premiered at the 2011 International Horn Society Convention.

Laurence Lowe

Laurence Lowe has established an international reputation as a horn soloist, composer, orchestral player, and teacher. His published works include two horn sonatas, a trio for piano, two horns, and hand drums, and a woodwind quintet. His music has been performed at international symposia for horn, clarinet, and double reeds in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He has been a soloist at eight international horn workshops sponsored by the International Horn Society. Mr. Lowe has performed numerous recitals at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Orchestral and chamber music engagements have taken him to Europe, the Far East, Brazil, Mexico, Carnegie Hall, and the Blossom Festival in Cleveland. Mr. Lowe has recorded extensively for motion pictures and television, and can be heard playing principal horn on many current motion pictures and television shows. He recently played solo horn in Mannheim Steamroller¹s A Fresh Air Christmas video. His first solo CD, Four American Sonatas for Horn and Piano , is available on Tantara Records. A review of the CD in the November, 2001 issue of The Horn Call. said "This disc is a must for everyone's library—superb artistry here by both hornist and pianist in a setting of excellent repertoire". His assignment at Brigham Young University includes performing with the Orpheus Wind Quintet. Mr. Lowe is also principal horn of the Orchestra at Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

Steven Gross

Steven Gross is Professor of Horn at the University of California-Santa Barbara. Dr. Gross is also a former member of the Atlanta Symphony, National Symphony, Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. His international solo appearances include the Orchester der Stadt Vöcklabruck in Austria, Moscow Conservatory, L'Abri International Arts Festival in Switzerland, Nairobi Symphony in Kenya, NTUA Wind Ensemble in Taiwan, and the Camerata Filarmonia Bohemia of Prague. His Carnegie Hall debut was described by the New York Concert Review as "offering some of the cleanest articulation and purest musicality."

Dr. Gross has released four solo CDs with orchestra on the Summit label. Gramophone Magazine praised his playing for its "subtle flair and vibrant character," as well as its "suave and poetic conversation." Reviews from the American Record Guide describe his playing as "outstanding, striking the right balance between thoughtfulness and verve, planning and spontaneity...an excellent tone and the ability and temperament to play heroically." Horn Call magazine states that the "soloist plays technically flawlessly and highly expressively throughout...Highly recommended."

In 2008, Dr. Gross was awarded the Stich-Punto Commemorative Plaque from the Czech Horn Society for outstanding devotion to Czech horn music. He is only the second American to receive this award.

Phoenix Chamber Brass

The Phoenix Chamber Brass uses the diverse backgrounds of its members to create engaging concert experiences reflecting the interests of ever-changing audiences. Recently completing a two-year commissioning project, this season the ensemble performs concerts with central themes relating to new commissions and standard repertoire. In addition to the invitation to perform at the Western Horn Symposium, Phoenix Chamber Brass was selected to perform at the 45th International Horn Symposium Memphis, TN. www.phoenixchamberbrass.com

Rose Marie French - Horn

Rose French has a very exciting and diverse career as a professional musician and educator. She is a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University, and Adjunct Faculty Phoenix College, Paradise Valley Community College, and Grand Canyon University. Rose serves as Exhibitors Coordinator for the International Horn Society, maintains a private studio, and teaches at Rosie's House: A Music Academy for Children, a non-profit music academy that provides free instruction and instruments to under-served youth. In 2012 Dr. French hosted the Southwest Horn Conference, where she performed with Swiss hornist Bruno Schneider, and wrote Rangesongs for Horn published by Mountain Peak Music. www.rosefrench.com

Gregory Lloyd - Trumpet

Trumpeter Gregory Lloyd enjoys an active and varied career as a chamber musician, orchestral player, soloist, and educator. As a former member of the internationally renowned Synergy Brass Quintet, Mr. Lloyd performed in more then 250 engagements both domestically and abroad, and was a featured artist at the 2009 Engadin Festival in Sils, Switzerland. Currently, A member of the Phoenix Chamber Brass, holds degrees from Boston University and the University of North Carolina School for the Arts, where he studied with Terry Everson and Judith Saxton.

Donald Smith - Trumpet

Donald Smith has been a residential faculty member of Glendale Community College (Arizona) since 2000 and is currently serving as the Chair of the Performing Arts Department. In addition to performing with the Phoenix Chamber Brass, Dr. Smith frequently performs with the Arizona Opera, West Valley Symphony, the Ted Goddard Jazz 10tet, and his quartet, JazzWest. Dr. Smith earned his Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in trumpet performance from Arizona State University and his Bachelor of Arts degree in music education from California State University, Chico where he studied both classical and jazz performance techniques.

Matt Lennex - Trombone

Trombonist Matt Lennex is a music educator in the Chandler Unified School District, an adjunct faculty at Paradise Valley Community College and an actively performing musician. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education at West Virginia University, a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance at the University of North Texas and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Trombone Performance at Arizona State University. Dr. Lennex is a member of the Phoenix Chamber Brass, the Salt River Brass and the Bruce Gates Jazz Consortium. Additional performances include engagements with the Phoenix Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Arizona Opera, Phoenix Opera, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, and national touring productions of The Lion King and Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake.

Jesse Chavez - Tuba

Having played in concert halls and public radio stations across the world and been immortalized in countless YouTube videos, along with performing as tubist with the Phoenix Chamber Brass, Jesse Chavez is revisiting solo performance, composing, and his first love, teaching. A graduate of Tennessee Technological University (BM. Ed.), and a candidate for the Master of Music degree at Arizona State, Chavez has performed as a member of the Synergy Brass Quintet with the Boston Pops Orchestra and at New York's Carnegie Hall, in a three-city tour of Japan, and at a variety of music festivals, including the Tanglewood Music Festival; the International Institute & Festival at Roundtop (Texas); and many more.

Ken Wiley

Ken Wiley is a French horn player and composer with a long and varied musical career. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, Wiley has logged some impressive credits, including appearances with bassist Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra including the Playboy Jazz Festival and the Charlie Rouse Quartet. His first album, Visage (on the Passport Jazz label) was picked as “Album of the Week” by Billboard and Cashbox magazines. In 2005, Ken published the first Jazz Play-A-Long for French horn with transpositions for all instruments. In early 2013, Ken's third original album and his first acoustic album will be released featuring L.A.'s top Jazz artists. More info is available on www.kenwiley.com.

Beth Lano

Originally from New Castle, Indiana, Beth Lano began her performance career at the age of 17, when she began freelancing in the Indianapolis area with various regional orchestras and headliner shows. As a student at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, she regularly worked as a recording musician at nearby studios. In 1979, she became assistant principal horn in the Omaha Symphony, where she served for a year before returning to Indiana and transferring to Indiana University, where she stayed until 1982. He primary teachers include Fred Ehnes, Robert Marsh, Dale Clevenger, Louis Stout and Philip Farkas.

In August of 1982, Beth was playing a set of summer concerts with the Starlight Theater in Indianapolis when Wayne Newton came to town. Newton invited Beth to join his orchestra and relocate to Las Vegas. She agreed, and has been based in Las Vegas since then.

During that time, Beth has toured and performed with Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet, Johnny Mathis, Ann-Margret, Don Rickles, Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavarotti, Barbra Streisand, the Who, Metallica and many more. She was principal hornist and assistant conductor in Bally's "Jubilee!", solo horn in "Monty Python's Spamalot", and principal horn in "Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular". She is currently associate principal horn with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

Beth is also a freelance voice-actor, having shilled for everything from Lexus automobiles to minor league hockey. She was one of the voices of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's "What Happens In Vegas" advertising campaign. A longtime morning rock and roll radio host in Las Vegas, Beth is now heard on the local National Public Radio affiliate, KNPR-FM (88.9 FM). She has worked as a publicist since 1989, and is currently the Public Relations Specialist at Geary Company Advertising.

Timothy Hoft

A pianist of unique versatility, Timothy Hoft has given performances in France, Italy, the Czech Republic, England, Scotland, and the U.S., including Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He has performed with the Detroit Civic Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea, the Peabody Camerata, and the Peabody Wind Ensemble. In addition, he has participated in several festivals including the Interlochen Arts Festival, the Brevard Music Festival, the Prague International Piano Masterclasses, and the Paris International Piano Sessions. He has also participated in numerous masterclasses led by artists such as Leon Fleisher, Kenneth Cooper, Robert Taub, Martin Katz, Phillip Bush, Lori Sims, Maurice Hinson, and Nelita True.

Hoft earned a Bachelor's of Music Degree in piano performance from the University of Michigan, as well as Master's of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts Degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. His primary interests include collaborating with composers and has given world premieres of works by Ryan Anthony Francis, Christopher Gainey, John Crouch, Elisenda F¡bregas, Ying-Chen Kao, David Witmer and Geoff Knorr. In 2009, he gave the world premiere of Judith Lang Zaimont's Concerto for piano and wind ensemble, "Solar Traveller," with the Peabody Wind Ensemble, directed by Harlan Parker.

Also an active accompanist and chamber musician, Hoft formed a duo with virtuoso flutist, Anastasia Petanova in 2006, and has since performed in numerous venues together such as The Phillips Collection, the Kennedy Center, l'Hotel d'Assezat in Toulouse, France and The New York University in Florence, Italy. In addition, Hoft is also an accomplished harpsichordist, having studied early music, continuo, and performance practice issues with Edward Parmentier and Webb Wiggins.

In 2006, Hoft was awarded a fellowship through the La Gesse Foundation, sponsored by Princess Cecilia de Medici, giving him numerous performances in Europe and in the U.S. He was also granted the Earl Wild Scholarship of the Ivory Classics Foundation, allowing him to study with the legendary pianist, Earl Wild.

After graduating from the Peabody Conservatory, Dr. Hoft joined the piano faculty at SUNY Fredonia as Visiting Assistant Professor, where he taught applied piano, accompanying, and chamber music. In Fredonia, he mentored several student composers and performed numerous times for the Ethos New Music Society. In 2012, Dr. Hoft joined the piano faculty at the University of Nevada- Las Vegas as Assistant Professor. His primary teachers were Logan Skelton and Benjamin Pasternack.

Andrew Bain

Mr. Bain was unable to participate in the Symposium due to a last minute obligation to the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Before joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Principal Horn in 2011, Bain was Principal Horn of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Since 2003, he has been the Principal Horn of the Colorado Music Festival. He has appeared as soloist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival, and Monash University's Music in the Round, and has held other positions with major orchestras in Australia and Europe. In 2010 Bain performed as soloist with the Melbourne Symphony and played Schumann's Konzertstück with the Colorado Music Festival. The 2000 winner of the Marten Bequest, Bain has also performed with the Saarbrüken Radio Symphony, the Bavarian State Opera, the Malaysian Philharmonic, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and the Sydney, West Australian, and Tasmanian symphony orchestras. He has recently been named as the new horn instructor for The Colburn School's Conservatory of Music.

In addition to recordings with the Queensland Symphony, Bain can be heard on the soundtracks of numerous other recordings and films, including Happy Feet, Australia, and Anacondas.