As our fall semester is nearly at the halfway point, I won’t even bother calling this post a semester “Preview.” Rather, here’s a brief update on some recent activities.

Fall Classes/Lessons

Like many places, my university is operating with a combination of face-to-face and online instruction. Things seem to be going well, and the faculty and students have done an admirable job adapting to the new environment.

Online Solo and Chamber Performances

We have been live-streaming a few concerts and recitals, and also releasing pre-recorded concert videos on our school’s YouTube Channel. While these aren’t quite the same experience as attending an in-person performance, they have been fun to put together, and will hopefully provide some musical enjoyment for audiences. Here are links to a recent faculty brass quartet recital and an upcoming horn and piano recital.

I would add that creating these has provided ample opportunities to work on my sound and video recording techniques, which are amateur at best. We experimented with various camera angles and settings, and I am still dealing with the learning curve on the various equipment and software. I think the audio is pretty good, at least!

The Horn Call Journal and Podcast

Since taking over the role of Publications Editor with the International Horn Society, I’ve been heavily engaged with preparing the October issue of The Horn Call. I’m glad to say that the journal is ready, with printed copies on their way to mailboxes and the electronic version already available online. I’m very grateful to the entire team at The Horn Call for their hard work. I hope you enjoy reading the October issue (cover image above), which features an in-depth article by Paul Neuffer on legendary Hollywood studio musician—and IHS Honorary Member—Vincent DeRosa. In addition to The Horn Call, the IHS also offers several other print and electronic publications, including an e-newsletter, Horn and More, produced by IHS Vice-President Kristina Mascher-Turner. We also have a monthly Horn Call podcast, which launched in August. It’s been a blast working on the podcast, and we have several wonderful guests lined up for coming episodes. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the first two episodes, check out the link below and subscribe using your normal podcast app to get updates.

https://www.hornsociety.org/publications/horn-call/podcast

Other News

In other news, I received word that my application for promotion to Professor of Music was approved! THANK YOU to my colleagues and mentors near and far who supported me through the process.

Thanks for reading this far, and stay safe!