The Horn Call Podcast

In Episode 74, we speak with Benjamin Lieser , the horn professor at the University of Central Florida and a member of the IHS Advisory council! Episode Highlights Growing up in Florida, getting started in music and on the horn Switching from trumpet to horn Important Early Influences: Dean Cassels, William Robinson, William Capps Tallahassee Symphony Youth Orchestra Studying at Florida State Univ...

Our guest for Episode 73 is Elizabeth Freimuth , professor of horn in the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, former principal horn of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and a member of the IHS Advisory Council! Episode Highlights   Teaching full time at her Alma Mater, Rice University Differences between teaching full time and performing in an orchestra full time. Changes in teaching phi...

Join us in Episode 72 for a conversation with Matias Piñera , Solo horn of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra! Episode Highlights Important influences Preparing for the Munich Philharmonic audition, audition process Living and working in Germany, and what he misses most about Chile Teaching position at the Mozarteum Academy. Balancing teaching and performing Latin Band Los Pitutos https://youtu.be/...

Our guest for Episode 71 is Kate Caliendo ! Kate enjoys a diverse musical career of symphonic playing, chamber music, recording, soloing and teaching. She is currently Second Horn of the Jacksonville Symphony and has also held Fourth Horn positions with the Houston Symphony and San Antonio Symphony. Episode Highlights Getting started on the horn Neurodivergence as a musician New teaching position:...

Join us in Episode 70 for a conversation with Dr. Derek J. Wright!  Derek plays 3rd horn with the award-winning Dallas Winds and in the West Texas Symphony. He has performed with several major orchestras including the Fort Worth Symphony and the Dallas Symphony. Dr. Wright is also a co-owner of Houghton Horns. He has contributed to the design of horns and mouthpieces for the Verus brand and freque...

Our guest for this episode of The Horn Call podcast is Wojciech Kamionka, the host of IHS 58 in Poland ! Episode Highlights Musical journey, current teaching position IHS58 preparations, news/updates What IHS58 attendees can expect Musical life in Poland, opportunities for horn players Polish Music Edition: New method book  Scales and Arpeggios book: Penderecki Academy Press

Our guest for this episode of The Horn Call Podcast is the ebullient Heidi Oros!  Heidi professional freelance hornist in the Finger Lakes area and is a former second hornist with La Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México. Heidi is a founding member (2006) of the woodwind ensemble, “i venti dementi,” and has been the hornist with the Swamp College Brass Quintet since 2007. Most recently, she join...

Our guest for Episode 67 is the incredible Scott Schiffer Leger ! Widely known for his fun and educational videos, Scott is a member of the Louisville Orchestra and is in high demand as clinician, teacher, and soloist. Episode Highlights Balancing a career and lots of other obligations Performing in the New World Symphony Early video work, getting into social media Learning new skills, saying yes!...

Our guest for Episode 66 is Christopher Brigham! Chris is an American horn player and educator who is currently living in Cologne, Germany, with an active freelance career and private teaching studio. He is the author of "Olga’s Last Call: The Horns of Auschwitz" in the April 2025 issue of The Horn Call.  Episode Highlights Early studies with Mike Harcrow, Karen Houghton Studying at West Texas A&a...

Join me in Episode 65 for a conversation with the amazing Kristina Mascher-Turner !  Episode Highlights Early inspirations, musical and otherwise Early training on the horn Attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison and studying with Douglas Hill “You have to fall in love with fundamentals.” Studying/Working/Living in Europe Advice for horn players looking to study/work abroad Gustav Mahler You...

Our guest for Episode 64 is the amazing Ken Pope! Ken is the owner of Pope Horns and has been a member of the IHS Advisory Council. Episode Highlights Early Musical Journey and Transition to Horn Repair Career in Instrument Repair and Sales Instrument Maintenance and Repair: The single most important maintenance tip for brass instruments is to oil the valves. Balancing Performance and Business Adv...

Join us in Episode 63 for a conversation with the great Randy Gardner ! A member of the IHS Advisory Council, Gardner is currently Artist-In-Residence at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance.  Following a distinguished tenure as Professor of Horn and Chair of the Winds, Brass, and Percussion Department at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), he was awar...

Our guest for Episode 62 is the one and only Richard Todd , a veteran of the Los Angeles recording studios, professor at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and member of the IHS Advisory Council. Episode Highlights Early Musical Exposure Early Influences and Mentors Transition from Orchestral to Studio Work Studying with Waldemar Linder Studying with Vince DeRosa Collaboration w...

Welcome to the fourth and final installment of our Summer 2025 series of short Bonus Episodes! At IHS40 (2008), hosted by Susan McCullough and Jesse McCormick at the Lamont School of Music in Denver, Colorado, Honorary Member Douglas Hill organized a series of four panel discussions, entitled "Pedagogical Pearls." The theme of this session was "Performance Needs; Specific Approaches." The presente...

Welcome to Part 3 of our Summer 2025 series of short Bonus Episodes! At IHS40 (2008), hosted by Susan McCullough and Jesse McCormick at the Lamont School of Music in Denver, Colorado, Honorary Member Douglas Hill organized a series of four panel discussions, entitled "Pedagogical Pearls." The theme of this third session was "Studio Concerns in Specific Situations." The first guest is Marian Hesse,...

Welcome to the second in our 2025 series of short Bonus Epsiodes! At IHS40 (2008), hosted by Susan McCullough and Jesse McCormick at the Lamont School of Music in Denver, Colorado, Honorary Member Douglas Hill organized a series of four panel discussions, entitled "Pedagogical Pearls." The first presenters are Douglas Hill and Lin Foulk. The handout referred to by Lin Foulk may be downloaded here....

Welcome to the first in our 2025 series of short Bonus Epsiodes! At IHS40 (2008), hosted by Susan McCullough and Jesse McCormick at the Lamont School of Music in Denver, Colorado, Honorary Member Douglas Hill organized a series of four panel discussions, entitled "Pedagogical Pearls." This installment includes Professor Hill's introduction and excerpts from presentations by Jennifer Montone, Richa...

Join us in Episode 61 for a conversation with Vidhurinda Samaraweera , IHS Country Representative for India and Sri Lanka, and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of The Horn Call. Episode Highlights Western Classical Music and Horn Playing in Sri Lanka Personal Journey into Horn Playing Challenges and Opportunities for Musicians in Sri Lanka A Team Horns Sri Lanka https://www.youtube.com/wat...

In this episode, we sit down with composer, horn player, and music preparer Steven Juliani ! Episode Highlights Early Horn Studies Studies at Curtis Institute of Music Graduate studies at USC: studying with Vincent DeRosa Professional Playing in Los Angeles Transition to Music Copying Starting His Own Copying Business Law School (In His 40s) Practicing Law Return to Music and Composition Relations...

Join us in Episode 59 for a conversation with Gabriel Radford , Third Horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Co-founder of The Embouchure Project . Episode Highlights Studying with Fred Rizner at the University of Toronto and Danny Katzen in Boston Thoughts on playing third horn in the Toronto Symphony Orchestra: “listen to the soloists” Coping with injury and article in January 2025 issue of...

Our guest for Episode 58 is the fabulous Lisa Bontrager, Emeritus Professor of Horn at Pennsylvania State University, and a member of the IHS Advisory Council and the Brass Band of Battle Creek, among many other engagements! Episode Highlights Musical Inspirations Teaching philosophy, other pedagogical ideas Studying with Louis Stout at the University of Michigan Advice for new or aspiring profess...

Our guest for Episode 57 is the amazing Christoph Eß , Principal Horn of the Bamberg Symphony and the IHS Country Representative for Germany. Episode Highlights Current playing and teaching activities Important influences on horn playing Auditioning for orchestral positions in Germany New Strauss Recording German Horn Sound Quartet YouTube Channel and publications (warmups and others) https://www....

Our guest for Episode 56 is Mars Gelfo ! Episode Highlights Being rejected from music school 7 times Application of cognitive science to horn playing Practicing differently Performing with the Macau Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Audition preparation Importance of wellness, whole person teaching Modacity Music practice app Using software to change the embouchure Kendall Betts Horn Camp memories...

Happy 2025! Our guest for Episode 55 is the amazing Brian KM ! Show Notes Brian's Website: briankm.com   Brian's Socials: IG: @imbriankm YT: @imbriankm TikTok: @imbriankm The AI Code of Ethics for Artists: https://www.briankm.com/ai.html  Musical Influences: https://juliakent.com   https://danielherskedal.com   https://www.rachelkcollier.com   https://www.daftpunk.com   Brass Bands: https://diebra...

Join us for a discussion with IHS Advisory Council member Emma Brown in this special New Year Bonus Episode! Emma Brown is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Orchestral Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. In 2023, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Horn Performance and a minor in Spanish from Michigan State University. Her major teachers include...