Featured and Special Guest Artists

Angela Barnes

In January 2005, at the age of 21, Angela Barnes was appointed second horn of the London Symphony Orchestra, becoming the first female member of the orchestra’s brass section in the orchestra’s hundred-year history. She has worked regularly with most of the major British orchestras, appearing as a guest principal with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Her career combines orchestral, solo and chamber music playing. As well as featuring in the second instalment of the Cala Records ‘‘London Horn Sound’’ series, she has also recently recorded Britten’s Canticle for Tenor, Horn and Piano, with tenor Allan Clayton, as part of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme.

Angela, from Rossendale, Lancashire, began horn lessons with her mother at the age of eight, before entering Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester, in 1994 to study with Elizabeth Davis. She then went on to study with Hugh Seenan, Richard Bissill, Jeff Bryant and Jonathan Lipton at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, from where she graduated with a First Class Honours degree in July 2005. Angela has given numerous solo and chamber music performances, and was a member of both the National Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra. In 2002, she won both the Liverpool Young Musician competition and the Brass section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, which saw her perform Richard Strauss’ Second Horn Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in the Barbican Hall, London, as part of the Concerto Final, which was broadcast live on BBC television and radio.

Highlights of recent seasons include performances of Schumann’s Konzertstuck for Four Horns and orchestra with the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, and of Brahms’ Horn Trio with pianist Martin Roscoe and violinist Nicholas Wright as part of the Ribble Valley International Piano Week.

Jonathan Boen

Jonathan Boen holds the esteemed position of Principal Horn with The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park and Music of the Baroque orchestras. Widely recognized as one of the most technically proficient players, his experience at the opera adds a layer of soaring lyricism to his interpretations not commonly found in performances today. As a guest section leader for the Dallas Symphony, recent critical acclaim from Paul Robison hails Mr. Boen : “…the horn section never sounded better. The playing of each of the five was virtually flawless. There were no cracked notes…this was some of the most glorious horn ensemble playing I have ever heard. There was power but there was also one perfectly-tuned chord after another, and the horn sound was golden and pure.” Gregory Sullivan Isaacs asserts: “Special kudos have to go to the horn section under the leadership of guest principal Jonathan Boen…and special gold star must go to the horn trio that accompanied Leonora’s big aria ‘Abscheulicher!’ It has rarely, if ever, been better played.”

In high demand as both a recitalist and orchestral soloist, Jon is known for his performances of works by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Lennox Berkeley, Brahms, Britten, Cherubini, Handel, Martinu, W.A. and Leopold Mozart, Poulenc, Schumann, Scriabin, Strauss, Telemann and Vivaldi.

To critical acclaim, he premiered Jan Bach’s Horn Concerto in 1983, a work written for him by the renowned Illinois composer. In 2004, Mr. Boen revived the concerto in a historic performance and recording with the Chicago Philharmonic under the direction of Maestro Larry Rachleff, now available on CD.

Much in demand as a recording artist, Jon has been heard in multiple live WFMT Chicago radio broadcasts by the Lyric Opera, Grant Park and Music of the Baroque orchestras. He has been active in Chicago’s commercial recording studios, having taped more than 1,000 jingles for radio and television programs airing nationwide. Jon also was a featured guest on the Studs Terkel program in 1983.

After 27 years of teaching horn at DePaul University, Mr. Boen is pleased to be joining the faculty at Northwestern University.

Jasper de Waal

Principal horn, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (2004- 2012)

Jasper received his first instrumental lessons from his musically talented father. In 1983 and 1984 he won various regional music competitions. He studied at the Brabant Conservatory with Herman Jeurissen, graduating in 1988. He continued his education at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, with Vincente Zarzo and received his Performance Degree in 1990. Shortly thereafter he was appointed assistant pricipal horn in the Residentie Orchestra in the Hague. A year later he became principal horn in that same orchestra, following in the footsteps of his teacher Vincente Zarzo.

Jasper has been principal horn of the Royal Concertgebouw orchestra since 2004. His first CD, presented in 2010 with chamber music and concertos by Joseph and Michael Haydn, was extremely well received. Recordings of the Britten Serenade , as well as a CD with chambermusic by Brahms ans Schumann, will be released in 2013. Jasper gives masterclasses and plays solo concertos and recitals around the world. As a teacher he is affiliated with the Conservatory in Amsterdam.

Elizabeth Freimuth

Elizabeth Freimuth is the principal horn of the Cincinnati Symphony. Before joining the CSO in 2006, Elizabeth was principal horn of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra (2005-2006), principal horn of the Kansas City Symphony(2000-2005) and assistant principal horn of the Colorado Symphony(1998-2000).

Elizabeth has performed as a featured soloist with the Kansas City Symphony, Overland Park (Kansas) Symphony and the Lakewood (Colorado) Symphony. She has performed with other orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Utah Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Saint Louis Symphony. In the summers, Elizabeth performs with the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in Sun Valley, ID and the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson Hole, WY.

As a chamber musician, Elizabeth has been a member of the Chamber Music Society of Kansas City, the principal horn of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and frequently performs with the Burning River Brass chamber ensemble. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music (BM) and Rice University Shepherd School of Music (MM), her primary mentors have been Verne Reynolds, Warren Peter Kurau and William VerMeulen.

Luiz Garcia

Luiz Garcia is First Solo Horn of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira of Rio de Janeiro and a tenured professor of horn at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UniRio). He began his studies at the Conservatory of Tatura and attended the Juilliard School in New York and New England Conservatory in Boston, studying with Charles Kavalovski.

He joined the renowned Empire Brass from 1995 to 1997, was the first horn soloist of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo from 1997 to 2001, and from 2002 to 2006, served as guest artist of the German Brass. While in Germany he participated on several occasions as the first horn soloist in performances, recordings and tours of the Berlin Philharmonic, Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, WDR Cologne, RSO Frankfurt, Zurich Tonhalle, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, among others with most renowned conductors.

Luiz has won awards in various competitions such as South America Contest (1988), the Award Eldorado (1989) and 1st place in Tilden Prize New York (1993).

Professor I.M. Gestopftmitscheist

Prof. I.M. Gestopftmitscheist was born and reared in Schplittenotendorf am Öede, the neighboring village to the city of Badd Lippstadt, Germany. He attended high school at the Gymnasium ad Nauseum von Schplittenotendorf and then graduated Magna Cum Disgracium from the Hochschule für Musik und Bierbrauen von Badd Lippstadt where he studied with the great Professor Otto Fisch. He also knew Oscar Franz, Franz Strauss and Georg Kopprasch as they always stayed at his house when touring as the Professor’s mother, Helga Swartzherzschlutt Gestopftmitscheist was “very friendly” to them and many other famous horn players. Soon after graduation, he was appointed to the position of assistant 4th/principal 8th horn/principal 4th Wagner Tuba at the Stadtsoper und Philharmoniker und Kammerorchester von Badd Lippstadt when a careless Personalleiter Sekretärin mistakenly sent the acceptance letter to him and not to the audition winner. The Professor then served there for 24 years until he was immediately fired after the first rehearsal in which he had to play since budget cuts at the outset of his tenure forced the programming to never have more than 7 horns until then. In the aftermath of WWII, he was arrested by the occupying American forces and charged with “musical pornography” when General George Patton heard him playing his right-handed-E-flat-Wagner-Tuba on the streets for change. Luckily, the same young American officer, who had been a mellophonist in high school, who snuck the cyanide to Hermann Goering in prison, befriended the Professor and sprung him. He then made his way to NY City where he lived underground and is credited in some circles to having founded the Beatnik Movement of the late 40’s and early 50’s due to his love of abstract poetry and bongo drumming. When the statute of limitations on his charges ran out, he then came out of hiding and settled in in Exit 2, New Jersey, where he operated a teaching studio and micro-brewery at Margie’s Truck Stop, Motel and Showers. He was a well-known freelance so-called Artist performing as Solo Horn of the Exit 2 Brass Quintet, The Broken Winds WW Quintet, and as Assistant Associate Principal Mellophone, NJ Turnpike Authority Drum and Bugle Corps, "The Phantom Lane Changers” until his retirement due to bad knees. He now lives in Bad Corner, New Hampshire where he continues to play with the Bad Corner brASS Quintet, is Solo 4th Horn (Leader, call him for bookings) of the Smirnoff Horn Quartet, is Hornist as Needed with L'Ensemble du Chambre des Palourdes, is Principal Natural Horn of I Soloisti di Feces and is Principal Baroque and Hunting Horn with the Camarata Vongoleforte.

Frank Lloyd

Frank Lloyd is renowned for his technical virtuosity, his musicality, and his willingness to share his expertise. Among many memorable performances at IHS symposiums are Paganini Caprices (with David Pyatt) at Tallahassee in 1993, the Britten Serenade at Tuscaloosa in 2005, and the Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor at several symposiums (2006-2008).

Frank was born in Cornwall in 1952 and began his musical career on the trombone in his school brass band at the age of 13. At 16, he left school to join the Royal Marine Band Service and was subsequently changed to the horn.

On leaving the Royal Marines in 1975, Frank went to study with Ifor James at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Soon after starting, however, he was offered the post of principal horn with the Scottish National Orchestra (now The Royal Scottish Orchestra), where he remained until 1979. He returned to London to take up a post with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and soon after that became a member of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, the Nash Ensemble, and the English Chamber Orchestra.

Frank has been on the faculty of the Guildhall School of Music, Trinity School of Music, Royal Northern College of Music and, since 1998, Professor for Horn at the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, Germany, following in the footsteps of the legendary Herman Baumann after Baumann's early retirement. He has toured the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and clinician and has recorded much of the horn solo and chamber literature.

Frank is an Honorary Member of the British Horn Society and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. He has served on the IHS Advisory Council (2000-2006) and as President (2004-2006, 2011- ). He was elected an Honorary Member in 2009

Jeff Nelsen

The eclectic career of internationally acclaimed Canadian hornist Jeff Nelsen comprises a true cross-section of the music industry. For over twenty years, he has succeeded in both classical and contemporary music and has been inspirational as both musician and mentor. He is best known as the hornist of the world famous Canadian Brass, with whom he toured and recorded for 8 years. As a horn soloist, he has performed concerti with orchestra, and his uniquely engaging recitals on five continents.

Jeff is Professor of Horn at the prestigious Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. He teaches horn, chamber music, and trains people in what he calls “Fearless Performance”, a subject upon which he recently gave a TEDx Talk. An innovative pedagogue in both substance and style, Jeff utilizes multiple avenues for distance learning. He recently gave his fearless lecture over live video conferencing to a group in USA while he was in Tokyo. Jeff also teaches online lessons all over the world from his studio in Bloomington. Prior to joining the horn faculty at I.U. in 2006, Jeff had been on faculty at the University of Toronto, British Columbia, Victoria (B.C.), and McGill University in Montreal.

Jeff has performed with dozens of orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Houston, and National Symphonies, Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras, and the Canadian and New York City Opera Companies. Jeff has held full-time positions in the Montreal, Vancouver, and Winnipeg symphony orchestras.
Eager to cross musical boundaries, Nelsen has performed the complete run of two shows on Broadway and toured with popular entertainers including Barry Manilow and Michael Bolton. Jeff has an extensive discography that includes film, television, and video game soundtracks, jazz, and solo features in addition to his many Canadian Brass and symphonic recordings.

Jeff grew up on a pig farm in Western Canada with opera singing pig farming parents. He is married to mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen. Jeff can’t seem to escape singers! These strong vocal influences on his music-making give Jeff his signature sound and singing approach to his teaching and horn playing. Aside from creating musical magic, Jeff is an enthusiastic magician, and often adds touches of illusionary arts to performances.

Nina Yoshida Nelsen

Hailed as a “rich voiced, expressive mezzo-soprano” by San Francisco Classical Voice and “appealingly direct and honest in tone and bearing,” by Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe, Nina Yoshida Nelsen recently made her New York City Opera debut as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, conducted by George Manahan.

In the 2011-2012 season, Nina Yoshida Nelsen made her debut with Sarasota Opera singing Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and she made her Avery Fisher Hall debut singing Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Ms. Nelsen was also seen as the Mezzo Soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Santa Barbara Symphony.

In the 2010-2011 season Nina was seen as the Mezzo Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony #9 with the Santa Fe Concert Association, as the Mezzo Soloist in Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Peoria Symphony and made her European debut singing Suzuki in Madama Butterfly at Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

Other noteworthy recent engagements include: Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette with Opera New Jersey, Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible with Utah Festival Opera, the title role in Carmen and the role of Antonia’s Mother in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Komische Kammeroper of Munich, and Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Santa Barbara.

In concert, she has bowed as the mezzo soloist in “Encore! Encore!”, a gala concert for Livermore Valley Opera, and with the Magic Valley Symphony Orchestra for the debut performance of “Dances and Romances”, a Pops show for Mezzo-Soprano and French Horn, featuring Ms. Nelsen and her husband Jeff Nelsen.

Nina makes her home in Bloomington, Indiana, where she lives with her husband Jeff and their son Rhys.

Abel Pereira

Abel Pereira, one of the most respected Portuguese artists of all time, internationally renowned, was born in Porto in the 70's. He began his musical studies when he was 10 years old at the Escola da Banda de Música dos STCP at Porto, and since his first performance as a soloist in Rivoli Teatro Municipal at 11 years of age, he has developed an intense concert activity throughout Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Middle East.

He graduated in ESMAE (Porto) where he studied with Bohdan Sebestik, pursuing studies with Marie-Luise Neunecker in Germany. During his training he studied with Hermann Baumann, Stefan Dohr, Jeffrey Bryant, Radovan Vlatkovich, the Prague Horn Trio and the German Horn Ensemble. Was awarded in several national and international competitions, including Leeuwarden (Netherlands), Makneukirchen (Germany), Concertino Praha (Czech Republic) and First Prize in the PJM-RDP Antena2 (Portugal).

In 1998 he received at the hands of Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink and Prof. Lutz Kohler the European Master-Prize. He was part of the Orquestra Portuguesa da Juventude, Orquestra Sinfónica de Jovens Ibero-America, and belonged for 6 years to the European Community Youth Orchestra, appearing in the most prestigious concert halls in the world, such as the Royal Albert Hall, Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, La Scala di Milano, Cité de la Musique and Conzertgebouw Amsterdam. He has worked with conductors and soloists such as Carlo Maria Giulini, Mstislav Rostropovich, Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, Vladimir Askenazy, Claudio Abbado, Emanuel Ax, Radu Lupu, Martha Argerich and Barbara Hendriks.

Among the dozens of disks he has performed as soloist, in chamber music and orchestra, stand out in 2002 the complete horn concertos by W. A. Mozart with the Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa (AP Records), in 2005 the urtext version of the Mozart's 4th horn concerto with the Orquestra Clássica da Madeira (EMI), in 2009 the Horn Concerto n.1 by R. Strauss with the Stellenbosch Festival Symphony Orchestra, and with the same orchestra in 2010 the Sinfonia Concertante in Eb K.297b by W. A. Mozart (SU Productions).

Between 2010 and 2012, he was first horn guest of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He is professor at the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon and the Escola Superior de Musica, Artes e Espetáculo in Porto and Horn section Chief at the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música.

Obtained in June 2012 the Specialist Statute (PhD) at the Instituto Politécnico do Porto.

Eric Ruske

Horn soloist Eric Ruske has established himself as an artist of international acclaim. Named Associate Principal Horn of The Cleveland Orchestra at the age of 20, he also toured and recorded extensively during his six-year tenure as hornist of the Empire Brass Quintet. His impressive solo career began when he won the 1986 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, First Prize in the 1987 American Horn Competition, and in 1988, the highest prize in the Concours International d’Interprétation Musicale in Reims, France.

Of his recording of the complete Mozart Concerti with Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the New York Times stated, “Mr. Ruske’s approach, firmly positioned with the boundaries of balance, coherence and good taste that govern the Classical Style, enchants by virtue of its confidence, imagination and ebullient virtuosity”. Performances as soloist include appearances with the Baltimore Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Shanghai Radio Broadcast Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, European Camerata, San Diego Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic and a tour with the Israel Chamber Orchestra throughout Israel. His recitals have been presented in venues such as the Louvre in Paris, the 92nd Street Y in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Dukes Hall in London, and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

An active chamber musician, he has appeared with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Festival de Música de Santa Catarina in Brazil, Moab Music Festival, Newport Music Festival, Spoleto Festival, Festival de Musique in St. Barthlélemy, OK Mozart International Festival, Evian Festival, La Musica in Sarasota, Bargemusic in Brooklyn, Music from Angel Fire, Boston Chamber Music Society, and the Festival Pablo Casals both in Puerto Rico and in France. Mr. Ruske is in great demand as a teacher and clinician, and in addition to having given master classes at over one hundred universities and conservatories in the United States, he has taught at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Banff Centre in Canada, Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Tokyo College of Music, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the College of Music at Seoul National University and most recently at the Ionian Academy in Corfu, Greece.

Danilo Stagni

At just 16 years of age Danilo Stagni was selected by Claudio Abbado to become first horn player in the orchestra of Teatro la Scala, a position he continues to hold. From 1979-1980, again under Abbado´s direction, Stagni gained the position of first horn in the European Community Youth Orchestra. During this time he won various international awards, including the GB Viotti Prize (1978), the F.G Verganti Prize in Stresa and the International Competition for Wind Instruments in Ancona (1979), among others.

From 1981 he has challenged both lyrical and symphonic repertory under such prestigious conductors as Carlos Kleiber, Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Georg Solti, Wolfgang Sawallisch,Carlo Maria Giulini and Valery Gergiev.

During the 1997 Teatro La Scala production of the Wagner Ring cycle directed by Riccardo Muti, Stagni performed the celebrated onstage horn solo in Siegfried.

Among the most significant recordings he made under Riccardo Muti´s direction feature W.A Mozart: Symphony for four wind soloists K297, Stravinsky: Baiser de la Fée (integral version) and Brahms: Serenade no. 1 for Sony classical

Under Giulini´s baton he participated in the recording of the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies and with Chailly, two unedited Rossini cantatas with horn obbligato. In the course of the 2002 concert season of the Filarmonica Della Scala, Stagni performed the Britten Serenade for Horn,Tenor and Strings under the direction of Sir Jeffrey Tate which was filmed and recorded by Mediaset. With Riccardo Muti conducting La Filarmonica della Scala, he performed the horn obbligato of the the Bach B minor Mass.

On various occasions Stagni has performed the Mozart horn concertos at Teatro La Scala with the Orchestra dell´Accademia, some of whose members he has taught since 2000. He has recorded the Haydn horn concertos with Italian Swiss Radio Orchestra. He has held masterclasses both in Italy and Japan (Ashikaga University and the Sapporo Summer Festival).

From 2008 he is working as guest solo horn with Berlin Staatskapelle under D.Baremboin direction .

Joan Watson

Joan Watson is Canada’s foremost horn soloist, Principal horn, lecturer and educator. Joan is highly regarded as a consummate musician and skilled virtuoso. Her contributions across the country include presently serving as Principal horn of the award-winning Canadian Opera Orchestra, founding member of the prestigious True North Brass quintet with 6 CDs of original and arranged Canadian tunes, Associate Principal horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for 14 seasons (having won the job while 8 months pregnant- baby appeared to be fine afterwards), and Principal horn of the Esprit Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Pacific Opera and Vancouver Opera Orchestras and the Boss Brass.

Joan is frequently heard on the CBC as a chamber musician and with New Music Concerts. She has been a featured soloist at the International Women’s Brass Conference, the International Horn Symposium in Banff, and the International Brass Quintet Symposium in Atlanta.. In June, 2010 Joan and Humber College Toronto hosted the International Women’s Brass Conference in Toronto. In summer you can find her performing regularly at Music By the Sea in Bamfield, BC..

As well, you will hear her on numerous commercials, television shows and movie scores. Joan has two solo CDs; Songs My Mother Taught Me, a wonderful collection of favourite soothing tunes and The Call of Christmas, your favourite holiday tunes with full orchestra and solo horn. Joan has a 25-year-old relationship with Yamaha Canada as a Yamaha artist and clinician. In 2008, the Yamaha Corporation chose to make a poster of Joan, making her the first woman brass player in the world featured on a Yamaha poster.

A long term faculty member at the University of Toronto and newly appointed as horn instructor at the Boston Conservatory , Joan is a passionate teacher and has specialized in Performance Skills, audition preparation, practice tips, and creating a passionate and fulfilling life of music making. Her new online course on clarifying goals and achieving satisfaction as a musician is available at www.creativepeoplecoaching.com and already celebrates over 20 happy and successful graduates.