Chamber Music Corner—Britta Byström’s Kinderszenen

by Layne Anspach

Britta Byström’s work Kinderszenen for violin, horn, and piano is the focus of this month’s Chamber Music Corner. Britta Byström (b. 1977) is a Swedish composer who did her schooling at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Her compositional work has focused mainly on orchestral music but also includes chamber music, vocal works, and operas. Byström has written solo works for Radovan Vlatkovic and Janine Jansen, to name a few.

Kinderszenen for violin, horn, and piano (2011) is a single-movement work that shares its name with Robert Schumann’s well-known Op. 15 piano work. The title translates to Scenes from Childhood. The opening is for piano with fragmented lines from the other players. The violin introduces the main melodic content, a combination of sustained notes and short rhythmic bursts. The piano maintains continuous sextuplets while the horn interjects. The piano and horn enter with more melodic content as energy grows. A short Calmo brings reprieve from the constant rhythmic materials, but this is short-lived as a faster tempo, Energico, returns. Energico is distinguished by the horn taking over as the dominant melodic voice.

A long, sustained note in the horn opens a second Calmo section, performed slower than the first. This calmo ends much as it started with a sustained pitch, this time held by the violin. A startling chord in the piano brings the work back to the opening tempo and melodic content. This scene is brief, giving way to calmo again, more sparse than its initial appearances.

The end of the final calmo feels like the conclusion of the work, but the ensemble interjects a return to the Energico. Another held note in the horn transitions to the final tempo, Leggiero. Here the opening themes and sound scape return one last time. The work concludes with the opening fragments restated and an extended trill in the violin, dissipating to nothing.

The reference recording is a live performance by the Esbjerg Ensemble. Joke Wijma is the hornist.

by Priscila Viana and Thiago Carneiro

The Brazilian Horn Society (ATB), founded in 2013, aims to promote research, reflection, and the dissemination of knowledge related to horn performance, contributing to the artistic, technical, and pedagogical development of its members and the Brazilian horn community.

Since its creation, the association has organized annual meetings, of both a scientific and an artistic nature, dedicated to the teaching, research, and performance of the horn in Brazil. These meetings foster exchange between Brazilian and international horn players, significantly strengthening and contributing to the development of the horn and horn playing in Brazil. 

In 2026, the city of São Paulo will host the 11th Meeting of the Brazilian Horn Society, which will take place from September 3-6, under the general coordination of Nikolay Genov. The event will be held at the School of Music of the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, located at Praça das Artes.

The event is supported by MB Cases and, so far, the confirmed participants include professors Mark Almond, Felipe Freitas, Luiz Garcia, Daniel Filho, Tayanne Sepulveda, and Lucca Zambonini, as well as invited groups such as Trompas UFRJ, Octeto Feminino, and Flamboyant Horns, among others.

Please plan to attend if you are able.

by Susan McCullough, IHS Executive Director

I am happy to introduce Colby Monroe, the winner of the 2026 International Horn Society Barry Tuckwell Award. This prestigious award was established in 1997 to honor the IHS Founding President and is designed to encourage and support worthy horn students age 18-24 as they pursue education and performance opportunities by attending and participating in masterclasses and workshops throughout the world. The award of up to $500 will be used to help pay the registration, room and board, and travel costs to attend any masterclass, workshop, or symposium he selects where Colby will perform and study with master hornists. He will also receive a one-year IHS membership. Applications for this important award are due in January every year.

Colby is a sophomore horn performance major at Oklahoma State University, studying under Lanette López-Compton. An Arkansas native, he is an active member and participant in the horn community, regularly attending workshops and the International Symposium. He is grateful for the support of the International Horn Society.

by Caiti Beth McKinney

Happy Spring to the Horn Community!

I want to start the season with a bang by featuring one of my favorite living composers (who also just happens to be a rockstar horn player), Aliyah Danielle.

Aliyah is one of those rare artists who can shine in any genre and any style, and this is further evidenced by her groundbreaking compositions. You can see the depth of her unique perspective even in the degrees she holds: Aliyah has her grounding in music education with a B.M. from Arizona State and then continued to earn a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance from the Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain. Beyond formal education, Aliyah’s musical origins come from her family; her mother is a pianist, and Aliyah grew up surrounded by singers and church music. Like many horn players, Aliyah fell in love with the sound of the instrument before she had ever even held the instrument.

When it comes to composing, Aliyah has a bold and individual style that plays with genre and expectations. One of my favorite of Aliyah’s works, a brass quintet titled In Spite Of…, takes the listener on a full emotional journey. The piece begins with a contemplative chorale that blends elements of gospel music with a quiet fanfare, then moves into a soaring section with quick, articulated trumpet and floating horn lines. Out of seemingly nowhere, the tuba takes over with a funk/jazz bass line until the trombone enters with the melody. The music constantly surprises me, never quite leading where I anticipate (in the best way). This quintet is a guaranteed crowd pleaser, so be sure to give it a listen!

Aliyah has also composed a variety of other outstanding pieces, including several chamber pieces for horn, tuba, or some combination of them. Even more incredibly, in 2023 Aliyah released her debut album, Genesis, a triumph of both her horn playing and compositional abilities. Genesis engages with themes, according to the composer, of “…mental health, breaking free from societal expectations, personal growth, and healing.” Like much of Aliyah’s music, the album is highly narrative, genre-bending, and experimental. Listeners can hear infusions of styles like rock and R&B, all imbued with Aliyah’s classical training and background. (I should mention that I have listened to the album in its entirety over a dozen times, and I am continuously surprised with each listen).

If her musical performances and writing weren’t enough, Aliyah is also a founding member of the Chromatic Brass Collective, an outstanding organization dedicated to providing mentorship and resources for “racially and ethnically underrepresented women and gender non-conforming people throughout the brass world.” If your eyes and ears aren’t on Aliyah Danielle, you’re missing out.