The International Horn Competition of America

The 2009 edition of the biennial Horn Competition was held August 13 – 16 at Columbus State University in Georgia.  Dr. Kristen Hansen was Host and Producer.

As is customary, the Competition is preceded by a panel discussion with the judges.  These sessions present ideas from panel, as well as offer question and answer time with the contestants.  For hornists not advanced past the first round, the judges are available to meet one-on-one for follow-up and constructive input.  These sessions have provided a highly positive atmosphere for the Competition, and advance playing ability of all the  contestants.

In the Professional Division, Geoffrey Pilkington (USA) of the Washington National Opera Orchestra (Kennedy Center Opera) took First Prize. Geoffrey began his studies in St. Petersburg, FL with his mentor Carolyn Wahl, of The Florida Orchestra.  He was awarded a full-scholarship to attend The Juilliard School and join the studio of Julie Landsman, principal horn of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.  In his 4th year of undergraduate work, he moved to London to study with international soloists Richard Watkins and Michael Thompson at the Royal Academy of Music through an exchange program.  In 2004, Mr. Pilkington was appointed 4th horn of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra while completing his studies in London.  Performance opportunities have included the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, St. Luke's Chamber Orchestra, The Florida Orchestra, various shows on Broadway, Boston Brass, and The Washington Symphonic brass. He has participated as a fellowship winner at the Music Academy of the West, The Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, and as professor at the Eastern Music Festival. Prior to the International Horn Competition of America, he was awarded the grand prize and featured as soloist with The Florida Orchestra and the Tampa Symphony.

Second Prize was awarded to Meredith Brown (USA).  Meredith is well-known throughout Northern California, holding principal horn positions with the Silicon Valley, Napa Valley, and Vallejo Symphonies, and the Fresno Philharmonic. She substitutes regularly with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Ballet, and also holds positions with the Oakland East Bay, Marin, and California Symphonies.  Her principal teachers include Douglas and Ellen Campbell, Neill Sanders, Peter Landgren, and A. David Krehbiel.  Educated at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, with a master's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory, Ms. Brown lives in Vallejo with her husband, trombonist Bruce Chrisp, and their four cats.

Finalist awards were given to Yoshimasa Kashahara (Japan) and Gene Berger (USA).

Yoshimasa Kasahara studied horn with Haruki Hiratsuka and Masayuki Naoi at Toho Gakuen, and with James Sommerville at the New England Conservatory. While in the United States, he was accepted to music festivals at Round Top and Sarasota.  He also performed regularly with ensembles in the greater Boston area including Hingham Symphony Orchestra, of which he had been a member for two seasons. After returning to Japan, he became active in chamber and commercial recording playing, as well as in recent appearances with Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, Shizuoka Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Chamber Opera Theatre and the Kusatsu Festival Orchestra. As a recitalist he maintains a keen interest in new or less frequently performed literature.  He recently premiered the Sonata for Horn and Piano by Takeki Muto, and introduced several works by Dana Wilson, Laurence Lowe and Paul Basler to Japanese audiences.

Gene Berger joined the Interlochen Arts Academy faculty as Instructor of Horn in 2008.  Previously, he was a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and The Florida Orchestra.  In addition to his Academy position, Mr. Berger is Principal Horn of the Southwest Florida Symphony in Fort Myers, Florida.  He has performed as guest principal horn with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra.  Mr. Berger has been an active educator, serving on the faculty of the University of Central Florida and the University of Tampa.  He was a member of the Pegasus Wind Quintet at the University of Central Florida, and was the founding member of the Category Five Winds, which served The Florida Orchestra's educational outreach programs.  Mr. Berger has performed with numerous festival orchestras including the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Spoleto, Colorado Music Festival, Music in the Mountains and the the AIMS Music Festival in Graz, Austria.  Mr. Berger is also active as a chamber musician and soloist.  He was a soloist with The Florida Orchestra in W. A. Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and Robert Schumann's Konzertstuck, Opus 81. In college, Mr. Berger studied with Greg Hustis, principal horn of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and William Capps.  His early private horn instructor was Frederick Schmitt, former horn with the New York Brass Quintet and principal horn of the Indianapolis Symphony, who gave him the inspiration to pursue a career in music.

In the University Division, Johanna Yarbrough (USA) took First Prize.  Johanna began playing the horn at age 11 under the instruction of Michelle Stebleton.  Johanna attended various honor bands in high school, and was awarded the Interlochen Center for the Arts Summer Camp Emerson Scholarship and the Florida’s First Lady Arts Scholarship.  In 2006, Johanna began her collegiate studies at the University of Alabama with Charles ‘Skip’ Snead.  For the 2008-2009 school year, Johanna was accepted as a student of Froydis Ree Wekre at the Norwegian Music Academy in Oslo, Norway.  Currently, Johanna is finishing her studies at the University of Alabama and plans on graduating in spring 2010.

Second Prize was awarded to Emily Britton (USA).  Emily is a native of Rochester, New York, currently residing in Tallahassee, Florida.  Emily earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education at Roberts Wesleyan College, and a Master of Music degree in Horn Performance and Literature, as well as a Performer's Certificate at the Eastman School of Music, both in Rochester, New York.  Currently pursuing doctoral studies in Horn Performance at Florida State University, Emily also serves as Principal Horn of the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and subs regularly with the Albany Symphony Orchestra of Georgia, Sinfonia Gulf Coast (Destin, Florida), and the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, in addition to various free-lance opportunities in the northern Florida.  Emily has been on the faculty of the Csehy Summer School of Music since 2004.  Her principal teachers include W. Peter Kurau, Michelle Stebleton, and Jennifer Burch.

Finalist awards were won by Nicholas Kenney (USA) and Anna Marie Dodd (USA). 

Nicholas A. Kenney pursues an active and diverse career as a performer and
teacher. He has performed in venues across the globe, including the historic
Waterford Opera House in Waterford, Ireland, New York City¹s Carnegie Hall,
Lincoln, Nebraska¹s Lied Center for the Performing Arts and Morelia,
Mexico¹s Centro Músico para la Musica y las Artes Sonaras (CMMAS). Nicholas
has played with the Greater Spartanburg (SC) Philharmonic, Hendersonville (NC) Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln (NE) Symphony Orchestra, Omaha (NE) Symphony,
and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra.

As a soloist, Nicholas has won numerous awards at state and regional levels
Including being a two-time winner of the North Carolina and Nebraska
MTNA competitions, winning the 2006 Western Carolina University Concerto
Competition, placing third at the Southeast Regional MTNA competition and
being a finalist at the 2006 and 2009 Southeast Horn Workshop solo competitions. Nicholas has appeared as guest soloist with the South Mecklenburg High School Wind Symphony, performing W.A. Mozart¹s Concerto No. 3 in Eb Major, and the 2008 Nebraska High School All-State Choir, performing Paul Basler¹s Alleluia.

Nicholas holds the Bachelor of Music Degree, cum laude, from Western Carolina University and the Master of Music Degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he will complete the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in May of 2010 under the supervision of Dr. Alan Mattingly.

An active chamber musician and soloist, Anna Marie Dodd has presented recitals in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, and Tallahassee. Ms. Dodd has been awarded first prize in several regional and national competitions, performed with numerous orchestras and ensembles (locally and internationally), including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Pops Orchestra,  Juilliard Orchestra, New England Conservatory Orchestra, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, Cobb Symphony Orchestra,  Conservatory Brass, and the Empire Wind Quintet. Ms. Dodd holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Horn Performance from The Juilliard School, and is currently a second year graduate student at the New England Conservatory where she studies with Mr. Jason Snider. Former teachers include Richard Deane, Julie Landsman, Jerome Ashby, and Jennifer Montone.

Professional Judges were Richard Deane (Atlanta Symphony), Lowell Greer (horn soloist), Steven Gross (University of California—Santa Barbara), Elliott Higgins (Albuquerque), Jean Martin-Williams (University of Georgia), Karl Pituch (Detroit Symphony), and David Thompson (Barcelona Symphony).

University Judges were Randall Faust (Western Illinois University), Jeremy Hansen (Tennessee Tech), Bruce Heim (University of Louisville), Marian Hesse (University of Northern Colorado), Joe Neisler (Illinois State University), and Brent Shires (University of Central Arkansas). 

The Competition was followed by a highly productive Board of Advisers meeting.  Look for great things at our next Competition, to be held Labor Day weekend 2011 (September 1 – 4).