The Alphorn Podcast

With Sean out of the country, the Alphorn Project team at Cormont Horn Camp—Sadie Glass, Stasia Siena, and Natalie Grana—sat down to recap Week Two of camp. They were joined by one adult camper and one high school camper, who shared thoughtful insights and firsthand alphorn experiences from the week. You won't want to miss this episode! We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

Alphorns at Cormont Horn Camp!  Sean sat down with Stasia Siena to recap the first week of alphorn activities at Cormont Horn Camp, currently underway at Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, New Hampshire. From classes, coaching sessions and rehearsals to the unique experience of playing in New Hampshire's beautiful landscape, Week One has been packed with learning, camaraderie and plenty of alphor...

It’s been a while! 👋 But we are BACK with another Friday podcast episode! 🎙️✨ This week, Sean sits down with James Downs from the Sierra Alphorn Players to talk all things alphorn, music, and community. You won't want to miss this conversation! 🎧 Listen now https://www.alpensong.com/ https://www.alphornassociation.org/ #TheAlphornProject #Alphorn #SierraAlphornPlayers #PodcastFriday #NewEpisode...

Hazel is a professional French horn artist and a founding member of The Alphorn Project. She is a faculty member at the Boston University School of Music and the Longy School of Music. Hazel spends her summers as a faculty artist and teacher at the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina and Cormont Horn Camp in New Hampshire; she also maintains a private horn studio in Arlington, MA. Originally fr...

Dr. Molly Gebrian is a professional violist with a background in neuroscience. She is the author of Learn Faster, Perform Better: A Musician’s Guide to the Neuroscience of Practicing. Holding degrees in both music and neuroscience from Oberlin College and Conservatory, New England Conservatory of Music, and Rice University, her area of expertise is applying the science of learning and memory to pr...

This week, we are thrilled to sit down with one of today’s leading natural horn artists, Sadie Glass!  Assistant Professor of Horn and Brass-Percussion Program Director at the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific, Sadie is also one of the four inaugural university faculty ambassadors for The Alphorn Project. Through her innovative work with historical instruments and modern pedag...

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible contributions of Dr. Peggy DeMers to the alphorn community! 🏔️🎶 Dr. DeMers is a renowned professional alphorn artist, composer, author, and a celebrated Champion of the Festival International de Cor des Alpes (FICA) de Nendaz. As the founder of the Midwest Alphorn Retreat, she has been instrumental in growing our community and passion for this unique in...

We are thrilled to welcome back the incredible Laura Nelson ! 🎙️✨ In this week’s episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on Laura’s CREATIVE PROCESS . As one of the most prolific composers in the alphorn world, Laura shares what she does to get the creativity flowing and gives us a sneak peek into the exciting projects she’s currently working on. Whether you're a musician, an artist, or just a fa...

Michael Gelb is an award-winning author of 18 books. He is a practitioner of the Alexander Technique (AT), a subject matter expert on creativity, genius thinking,  and human potential. His bestselling books include: Body Learning: An Introduction to the Alexander Technique, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, and Discover Your Genius. Michael has performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. H...

We’re heading to the West Coast for this week’s episode! 🎙️🏔️ Sean sits down with Dr. Jonathon Stillman , a man whose expertise spans from the lecture hall to the Swiss Alps. Dr. Stillman is a Professor at San Francisco State University and U.C. Berkeley , but when he isn't teaching, he is a leading figure in the North American alphorn community. A founding member of Alphorns San Francisco , Dr. S...

We’re heading to the heart of Leavenworth this week as Sean chats with Janet Mano and Kevin Rieke.   Janet is a professional alphorn artist and the President of the Leavenworth Alphorns, while Kevin—a career entrepreneur and second-generation Leavenworth native—serves as an officer for the group. We dive into the rich culture of their community and what it takes to lead such a vibrant musical orga...

Wait... is this thing on? 🎙️😅 We had a few technical gremlins jump into the studio this week! Please excuse the minor audio/upload issues with our latest episode. Thanks for sticking with us while we get things back in harmony! 🏔️✨ Despite the glitches, we are so excited for you to hear from our guest this week, Laura Nelson! Laura is a celebrated winner at both the North American Alphorn Festiv...

60+ Alphorns. Major Universities. One Mission. 🏔️🎶   This week on the podcast, we’re talking about The Alphorn Project, developed by the amazing Stasia Siena. We’re highlighting Sadie Glass’ incredible program at the University of the Pacific and how she’s breaking new ground with her brass students.   Curious how your school can get involved with the AANA? We’ve got all the details in the episod...

Kate Axtell is a professional alphorn artist and one of the original members of AANA’s 2026 Organization of the Year, the Sierra Alphorn Players. In 2026, Kate established the Imagine Alphorns You Tube Chanel and the 30-Day Alphorn Challenge. Kate’s alphorn journey is remarkable. She tells the inspirational story of how the alphorn saved her father’s life and set her on her own incredible path. ht...

Daniel Fuertges is President of the Peoria Harmonie-Concordia, Music Club. Harmonie is the largest organization within the German American Central Society. The club traces its roots back to 1850. Daniel is also the Founder of the Peoria Mid-Winter Alphorn Workshop, the Manager and a performer of the Lindenhof Echoes, and the Manager and a performer of Al’s Pals Polka Band.   The 2027 Peoria Mid-Wi...

Stasia Forsythe Siena is a leading subject matter expert in the Alexander Technique (AT), a method used by thousands of artists and athletes worldwide to enhance performance, prevent injury, and improve overall coordination. She is also a classically trained opera singer, author, and alphorn artist. She is the architect of the #AlphornProject. https://www.roosevelt.edu/profile/sforsythe https://ho...

Brandi and Lindsey Jones are global alphorn thought leaders. They have manufactured over 200 alphorns in their shop located in Carson City Nevada. They have also written hundreds of alphorn pieces which are being performed all over the world. Their group, the Sierra Alphorn Players have recently been awarded the Alphorn Association of North America's 2026 Organization of the Year.  Silverandbrassm...

Sean, Robert and Sonja discuss the newly formed AANA which stands for the Alphorn Association Of North America.  They discuss it's origins and the plans for the future. If you are interested in getting involved with AANA, please reach out to sonja.reynolds@alpensong.com . Alpensong.com Alphorninstitue.com AANA Webstie Coming Soon! For information about the Tahoe Alphorn Seminar and to register, cl...

Sean, Robert and Sonja Reynolds meet with Peggy DeMers.  They discuss Peggys most recent accomplishment of her English translation of the A. L. Gassmann’s s’Alphornbüechli, Blast mir das Alphorn noch einmal!  Commonly known as the bible of the alphorn.  Links mentioned in the episode.  The Little Alphorn Book Peggy Demers We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

Sean & Robert discuss their experiences performing for the international alphorn competition in Nendaz Switzerland and also discuss recent alphorn events, including The North American Alphorn Retreat.   The North American Alphorn Retreat       We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Windy City event! It was great to see all of you. If you missed out on this event, but want to catch us later this year, visit our website to learn more about upcoming events!    Catch us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more updates!   Links mentioned in the episode: A Singing Approach to Horn Playing: Pitch, Rhythm, and Harmony Training for Horn  ...

Following his graduation from the Ohio State University, Jim worked as a band director with Columbus Public Schools from 1969 until his retirement in 2004. Jim bought his first alphorn while he was on tour in Austria with a German choir. After playing solo alphorn for several years, he started playing trios with a group in 2008 which has transformed into the group Alphorn Gruezie. Jim also works a...

From her bio: "Annette was born in Cardiff and at the age of 8 decided she wanted to play the trombone but was told that her arms were too short. She is eternally grateful for that teacher’s wisdom and began playing the horn instead, rapidly progressing through the local youth ensembles and eventually going on to become principal horn of the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. Annette studied BMus...

In this episode, Bill discusses how he discovered his love for the alphorn, the McNeese Alphorn group, how he gets young adults and kids interested in playing the alphorn, points of inflection, and his process for composing alphorn music.  Visit the Alphorn Institute website here! Find Bill's publishers: TAP Music, Kagarice Brass Editions, Gulfwind Music Press, Treble C Music, Fred Bock Music, Edi...

We are excited to be launching season two of the Alphorn podcast. In this episode we discuss everything listed above, but fun digressions include: the Wasatch mountain peaks, Robert and Tony's adventures with creating mouth pieces, Sean's endeavors to create composite alphorns, plans to play the alphorn in Greenland, and debate on when Robert had his first paid alphorn performance.    Visit our we...