This spring, horn musicians will congregate at the University of Idaho to celebrate a shared passion for brass tradition.
This symposium is put on by the International Horn Society for the members in the Northwest region and is hosted by various schools affiliated with the society.
Jason Johnston, an Assistant Professor of Horn at the Lionel Hampton School of Music, is a member of the Northwest Horn Society and has been able to learn as well as teach through it.
“I have commissioned new works, I’ve performed with some of the best horn players in the world, and I’ve been able to teach young horn players as well,” Johnston said.
Johnston is passionate about the French Horn and through his position at the UI and the upcoming symposium, he hopes to extend that passion to others.
“It’s an amazing instrument,” he said. “It’s graceful and it’s powerful.”
Aside from being a member of the society and a UI music professor, Johnston has also been tasked with coordinating this year’s symposium.
Johnston said he wanted to create more awareness of the excellent music programs the UI has to offer.
While the Jazz Festival is a popular event, Johnston said the UI has other great forms of music and he wanted to show that with this symposium.
“One of the biggest things we host here is the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival so I decided to piggy back off of that with a jazz horn component,” he said.
Johnston said the symposium will focus on, networking opportunities with professionals and learning how to succeed as a professional in the industry.
Johnston is bringing in guest speakers and performers to lead lectures and seminars and to interact with participants to prepare them for a future in the business.
“A lot of large symphonies are very competitive and the audition process can be extremely rigorous and difficult,” Johnston said.
Through this symposium, Johnston is able to offer a solution to this daunting task.
“We are hosting something called ‘the audition mode,’ it was created as a week-long intensive where you learn how to audition,” he said. “So, what we’ve done with the symposium is bring in a two or three-day version of that and put it together with our jazz component.”
Along with the lectures and seminars, the symposium will also feature performances, vendors related to the horn and music industry, and master classes where participants can get feedback from masters about their performances.
The schedule is similar to the Jazz Festival where participants can pick and choose lectures to attend or visit vendors but, unlike Jazz Fest, it is possible for participants to attend all events if they wish.
“Because this is a smaller symposium, I was able to schedule everything so that nothing will be a conflict,” Johnston said.
The symposium has already drawn students, amateurs and professionals alike from around the region including states like Hawaii, Alaska, Colorado and Utah.
The Northwest Horn Symposium has a regional focus but has been getting attention from thousands of miles away, which Johnston said is good for the UI to get people on campus.
For Johnston, the symposium is a good way to showcase the UI and its music programs but he hopes people will be able to gain valuable insight into the profession as well.
The Northwest Horn Symposium will be held on Friday through Sunday.
Details about the schedule and registration can be found on their website at www.uidaho.edu/class/music/events/horn-symposium.
Kara Billington can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @K_Billington3