by Marilyn Bone Kloss
“Marilyn, it was fantastic! You have to come next year!” My friend Kathy was telling me about the 1992 IHS Symposium in Manchester, England. In fact, the next year we both attended the 25th Symposium in Tallahassee, Florida, and I have attended every year since except one.
Between work, limited finances, and lack of motivation, I had not attended a workshop or Symposium before then. I had studied horn with Philip Farkas at Indiana University and because of a letter he sent, I signed on as a founding IHS member, and later I became a lifetime member. Coincidentally, I had started the Cornucopia newsletter in 1992 after attending a two-day seminar on newsletter writing, at the same time becoming the Massachusetts IHS Area Representative.
When Peter Kurau, professor at the Eastman School of Music and Advisory Council member, suggested that I be a candidate for the AC, I doubted at first that I had the necessary skills for such a prestigious (and, to me, mysterious) body, but Peter encouraged me. I ran on a platform of representing amateurs and have organized amateur sessions at various symposiums since. In fact, for the Symposium in Fort Collins this year, we have amateur sessions for an hour every morning, starting with a presentation (natural horn, low horn, horn and electronics performance, managing a horn choir) followed by horn choir rehearsals conducted by Chris Brigham.
The Horn Call has always called me; I looked forward to every issue and had submitted a few articles (such as Advice for Amateurs and Bach Cello Suites for Horn) when I spotted a reference to “University of Indiana.” Well, I had attended Indiana University (BME, MM) and knew that no “University of Indiana” existed. I wrote to the editor, Bill Scharnberg, who responded by inviting me to help the journal by proofreading. That job evolved to reviewing articles, then soliciting articles, and eventually to a formal position as Assistant Editor, which I still do today under the current editor, James Boldin. I had earned a graduate certificate in technical writing at Northeastern University and worked in computer software and technical writing before retiring, so I had a background in writing.
Between being an IHS founding member, on the Advisory Council (1996-2002), an Area Representative (1992-2019), assistant editor of The Horn Call (2006-present), organizing Northeast regional workshops (1998-2021), and attending the annual symposiums (1993-present), I feel deeply connected to the International Horn Society. Attending the symposiums is a joy and an education. Participating in the IHS any way that I can is a satisfying way to encourage others and to give back.
