Meet the People—Horn and More Proofreader
by Heather Thayer
Happy October, horn friends! A few months ago, I was pleased to be asked by my dear friend Mike Harcrow to be a part of the Horn and More team. I enjoy getting a first look at the newsletter as I proofread the articles, and I am thrilled to be a small part of our vibrant, friendly, and active horn community.
As is typical for many of us, my experience with the International Horn Society began when my undergraduate horn professor, Dr. Willard Zirk, took us to events like regional workshops and the International Horn Competition. As a young horn player, I was deeply impressed by the amount of information and experiences available as well as the community and relationships built among horn players from all over the world. Since those early days, I have continued to attend and perform at regional workshops and international symposia. Two of my recent performances took place last year with the Arkansas Professors Quartet at the Mid-South Horn Workshop in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and with the HornPipe Duo (flute and horn duet) at the 55th International Horn Symposium in Montréal.
After earning my music degrees (BS in Music, Eastern Michigan University, MM in Horn Performance and Music Theory, Bowling Green State University, and DMA in Horn, University of North Texas), I have had the honor to spend my life working with college students as a horn, aural skills, and music theory professor. I began my college teaching career at Ouachita Baptist University, and I am currently at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. I deeply cherish the opportunity to assist all of our music majors grow as musicians and find their place in the world. While here in Arkadelphia, I have developed a deep love of chamber music and have made it my focus for performance. I perform with my colleagues at HSU and in the HornPipe Duo, and I am the founder of the Arkadelphia Chamber Players which has performed several concerts for our students and community members. I enjoy performing with the Natural State Brass Band in Little Rock, Arkansas and the Lone Star Wind Orchestra in Dallas, Texas. For fun, I love playing alphorn quartets in South Dakota with Amy Laursen, Todd Cranson, and Kurt Hackemer.
I wish you all the best as you prepare for rehearsals, performances, and classes this year. I hope to meet many of you in Colorado this summer for IHS 56!
