By Tom Ganser
Correspondent
On Nov. 19, French horn players of all ages and all abilities, from beginners to adults, will have the opportunity to spend a fun day in both small and large group ensembles with horn fellow horn enthusiasts at the 18th annual University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Fall Horn Festival. The theme of this year’s festival is the “FRENCH Revolution.”
During the activities from 9 a.m. through the Finale Concert (which is free and open to the public) that begins at 4:15 p.m. in Light Recital Hall in the Greenhill Center of the Arts, participants will explore the history and the mystery of the “French” horn, learn and play music by famous French composers, and even have the opportunity to play horn in the traditional French way – without valves.
Linda Kimball is the UW-Whitewater faculty hornist and creator/artist director of the UW-W Fall Horn Festival, which she started in 1999 to encourage and inspire young horn players, and to offer a day of horn fun and camaraderie. Kimball is also principal horn of the Whitewater Brass Quintet, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and, for 22 years, was a member of the Wingra Woodwind Quintet.
Frustration over the lack of excellent music for young horn ensembles prompted Kimball to start arranging horn ensemble music, and she composes or arranges much of the music played at the annual Fall Horn Festival.
Appearing as this year’s guest artist who will conduct a masterclass is Lin Foulk, an Associate Professor of Music at Western Michigan University, where she teaches horn and performs with the Western Brass Quintet and the Western Wind Quintet. With the Western Brass Quintet she has performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City; in Bangkok, Thailand; Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia; Chengdu, China; and at universities across the United States.
Representatives of the Geo R. Breber Music Company of Elkhorn, which has sponsored of the festival since 2000, will be on hand with horns, music, and horn supplies aplenty. Horns will be available at special Fall Horn Festival prices.
The Center for the Arts Café will be open for business, including lunch, or participants can bring their own lunch, order in, or walk to nearby restaurants.
In addition, during a special “Fun Time” prior to the finale concert, participants will receive their festival-t-shirts and be treated to raffle prizes, snacks, a photo op, and a French Horn Flea Market.
Juan Barrios, hornist with the Dallas Brass who was the 2015 Fall Horn Festival guest artist, said “It was such a pleasure to be a part of all the learning, teaching, music-making, and fun times that took place at the UW-W Fall Horn Festival – such a fantastic event and definitely not something any horn player/enthusiast would want to miss!”
For more information or to register, visit www.uww.edu/ce/camps/music/fall-horn-festival/registration-hornfest.
The $45 fee covers instruction, materials, and the festival T-shirt (to be worn for the concert). Early registration guarantees a shirt on the day of the festival.
