As you consider the nominees listed below, please be thoughtful of the duties and responsibilities of the position. The Advisory Council (AC) is responsible for carrying out the aims and purposes of the Society, determines the policies and budget allocations for IHS programs, and elects additional AC members. AC members work via email, phone, and fax throughout the year and attend annual meetings at the international work- shop.

The following individuals (listed alphabetically) have been nominated to serve a term on the IHS Advisory Council beginning after the 2009 international symposium. Please use the postcard found in this journal to vote for up to three nominees (stamp required). Votes submitted by any other means, including email, will not be accepted. Ballots must be received by April 15, 2009.

Lisa Bontrager has performed as soloist and chamber musician throughout the US, Europe, and Japan, including tours with the internationally award-winning Pennsylvania Quintet, the versatile Millennium Brass, and the horn duo Mirror Image with Michelle Stebleton. Featured artist at the 2007 Southeast Horn Workshop and a Holton horn artist, Bontrager performs at numerous regional, national, and international workshops and also performs as tenor hornist with the acclaimed Brass Band of Battle Creek.

Recognized for her teaching, Lisa has presented master classes throughout the world and is currently Professor of Music at Pennsylvania State University where she received the 2008 Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts and Humanities.

Lisa appears on nearly 20 recordings, including her solo CD, "Hunter's Moon," released on the Summit label. Bontrager holds degrees from the University of Michigan where she studied with Louis Stout. (Bontrager has served two terms on the Advisory Council: 1993-1998)

Marian Hesse is a Grammy-winning hornist and Associate Professor at the University of Northern Colorado. A member of the Chestnut Brass Company for 22 seasons, she performs regularly on historical instruments, including the natural horn, sackbut, saxhorn, and the quinticlave. She has performed in 49 states and has made over a dozen recordings. Hesse has served on juries for the International Horn Competition of America and the Jeju (Korea) International Brass Competition. Studies at the University Of Pennsylvania Wharton School Of Business led to earning a Certificate of Non-Profit Management and a Certificate in Fundraising. Hesse is principal horn with the Boulder Bach Festival and the Lafayette Pro Musica and has performed as principal with the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, the Concerto Soloists Orchestra of Philadelphia, and others. International performances include the Cayman Islands, Korea, Brazil, the Mexico, Canada, Germany, and Hungary. (Hesse has not previously served on the Advisory Council.)

Leighton Jones was born in the village of Felinfoel, in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. At Grammar School, he was told - "play the French horn." He immediately fell in love with the instrument and six months later was principal horn of the Carmarthenshire County Youth Orchestra. Six months following he was chosen to play for the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, where he was solo horn for six years. At nineteen he was playing with the then BBC Orchestra of Wales. He won a scholarship to the Royal Academy in London where he studied with Keith Whitmore and Alan Civil. For family reasons he returned to West Wales and an active freelance career, performing with several chamber ensembles and orchestras in Wales and the United Kingdom, including The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the Orchestra of the Welsh National Opera. (Jones has not previously served on the Advisory Council.)

Ken Pope offers: "Most of you know me through my horn specialty shop, Pope Instrument Repair, or through the many workshops where I have been either an exhibitor or a lecturer, but in the New England area I am known primarily as a player. As a full time freelancer I have performed with all the ensembles in Boston, from the Boston Symphony to the myriad of Broadway shows. This tightrope that is strung between the shop and my performance career allows me insights into the full spectrum of the Horn World, and I would greatly appreciate the chance to continue helping out this community by being on the IHS AC." (Pope has not previously served on the Advisory Council.)

Marshall Sealy has performed in a broad range of styles and venues including orchestras/bands of Tony Bennett, Alvin Ailey Dance Company, Opera Company of Boston, Les Miserables Brass Band and Evita. He has been a soloist with Plovdiv Symphony (Bulgaria) and US Air Force Band and has performed with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica de Jalisco (Mexico), and Ray Charles. His live television orchestra appearances include the Essence, Emmy and Grammy Awards, and Whitney Houston HBO Special. Recordings include Les Miserables Brass Band, J.J. Johnson, Jay-Z and Isaac Hayes (Shaft). Marshall has been Executive Director, New York City Housing Authority Symphony Orchestra; Director of Music, Harlem School of the Arts; and Horn Instructor, Berklee College of Music. He has delivered horn master classes in the United States, Mexico, South Africa, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Dominican Republic. Marshall is a Master Craftsman of brass instrument restoration and modification. (Sealy has not previously served on the Advisory Council.)