Kristin P. Thelander
Kristin Thelander has been active in the IHS in many capacities, with a major effort and lasting legacy as coordinator of the Thesis Lending Library. She has performed on both modern and natural horn at many International Horn Workshops and has been a guest artist at many regional horn workshops. She was particularly known for her natural horn performances and master classes.
Kristin received a BM from St. Olaf College, where she studied with Miles Johnson; an MA in musicology from the University of Minnesota; and a DMA from the University of Wisconsin, where she studied with Douglas Hill. She won First Prize at the American Horn Competition in 1981. She was on the music faculty at the University of New Mexico, and then joined the University of Iowa, where she was horn professor (1989-2000), Director of the School of Music (2000-2009), and Director of Planning until her retirement in 2016.
Kristin has been a member of the Madison (WI) Symphony, the New Mexico Brass Quintet, the New Mexico Symphony, the Santa Fe Symphony, the Iowa Brass Quintet, the Iowa Woodwind Quintet, the Bon Vivant Horn Quartet, and the La Crosse (WI) Symphony. Highlights of her career include international tours to the People's Republic of China, South Korea, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Brazil.
Kristin has recorded with the New Mexico Brass Quintet (Crystal Records), the Iowa Brass Quintet (Americana: A University of Iowa Celebration), and the University of Iowa Center for New Music; Music of the Early 19th Century for Natural Horn and Fortepiano (Crystal Records); Crosswinds: Music of Margaret Brouwer (CRI); Thoughtful Wanderings: Music of Douglas Hill (UW); and Francis Poulenc: Complete Music for Winds and Piano (MSR).
Kristin served on the IHS Advisory Council (1987-1994), as Secretary-Treasurer (1990-1992), and as Vice President (1992-1994), Commissioning Assistance Program chair (1989-1994), member of the Board of Referees for The Horn Call (1989-1997), Coordinator of the Thesis Lending Library (1994-2016), and an adjudicator for many IHS solo and orchestral horn competitions. She has written several articles for The Horn Call and The Horn Call Annual. She was awarded the Service Medal of Honor in 2016.
Virginia Thompson (1956-2015)
Virginia Thompson is remembered not only as a beloved teacher, but also for her sense of humor, her kindness and caring, and her service to the IHS, including two terms on the Advisory Council (1995-2002) and a term as president (2000-2002).
Virginia was born in Davenport, Iowa and attended the University of Iowa (BM, DMA) and the University of Arizona (MM). She taught horn at Coe, Cornell, and Grinnell Colleges and played in several orchestras, including the Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa in Veracruz, Mexico and as substitute with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
For the last 25 years Virginia was Professor of Music at West Virginia University, where she taught horn performance, literature, and pedagogy, was the Director of Graduate Studies (1996-2000), and was a member of the faculty Laureate Wind Quintet. Known affectionately as Dr. T, she earned multiple Outstanding Teaching and Service awards as well as acknowledgements of Continued Academic Achievement.
Virginia had a special interest in new music, commissioning and premiering many new works during her career and collecting some of them on a CD, Music for Horn, in 2008. As soloist, recitalist, and clinician, she performed throughout North America, Europe, and Africa.
See the obituary by Jennifer Presar and Heather Poe Roth in the May 2015 issue of The Horn Call.
Robert E. Marsh (1921-2011)
Robert E. Marsh (1929-2011) served on the IHS Advisory Council (1971-1977), hosted the 1974 International Horn Workshop at Ball State University (Muncie IN), and led the creation of the IHS archives (now at Sibley Library at Eastman in Rochester NY). He was the horn instructor at Ball State University (1953-1986) and held Honorary Doctor of Music degrees from Ball State and the Chicago Conservatory College.
Bob was from Youngstown, Ohio and earned BM and MM degrees from Northwestern University, where he studied with Max Pottag. He also considered himself a student of Philip Farkas, Erwin Miersch, and Mario Grillo. He was a member of the Houston Symphony, principal horn of the Indianapolis Symphony, and often assistant to Farkas at the Chicago Symphony.
The horn ensemble at Ball State is named for Bob. Max Pottag donated his collection of horns and music to Ball State because, at the time, it had the only active college-level horn ensemble. Bob is remembered fondly by his many students, who appreciate the horn heritage that he passed down to them along with his spirit and energy.
This information is extracted from the obituary by Regina Swanson in the May 2011 issue of The Horn Call.
Marilyn Bone Kloss
Marilyn Bone Kloss (born 1942) is an IHS Founding and Lifetime Member and has served two terms on the Advisory Council (1996-2002). She is assistant editor of The Horn Call, editor of the IHS website, and publisher of the Cornucopia newsletter and Cornucopia: The Book. She has been the IHS Massachusetts Area Representative since 1992 and started the Northeast Horn Workshop in 1998 and continues to lead it.
Marilyn earned BME and MM degrees at Indiana University, where she studied horn with Philip Farkas and Abe Kniaz, and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Graduate Certificate in Technical Writing at Northeastern University in Boston. After working as a public school music teacher, horn free-lancer, and engineer and computer programmer, she retired in 2006 from her last position as a technical writer at a computer software firm.
Marilyn plays in her local community orchestra (Concord MA) and is its music librarian. She serves on the Music Committee of the town library and on the Board of Directors of Boston Musica Viva. She received the Service Medal in 2013.
Douglas Campbell (1924-2025)
Douglas Campbell was Professor Emeritus at Michigan State University, where he was Professor of Horn for 45 years. He is a highly regarded horn teacher, fondly remembered by his students for his gentle, student-centered personality that expected nothing but the best work from his students. He also started the first regular regional horn workshops and hosted an IHS International Workshop.
Doug was born in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1924. He started playing trumpet at age nine and switched to horn four years later. As a self-taught hornist, he played in his school band and orchestra and in the Wichita Falls Symphony. At age 16, he enrolled at North Texas State University. While a student there, he performed with the Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Waco Symphonies, as well as Dallas's Starlight Opera. He earned a bachelor's degree from North Texas in 1944, then went to Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Arkady Yegudkin and Morris Secon and earned an MM in 1946 and a PhD in Music Theory in 1957.
Doug has played with the National, Houston, Grand Rapids, Santa Fe, and Lansing Symphony Orchestras. He was hornist with the Richards Quintet, ensemble-in-residence at Michigan State University, which toured the US, Canada, and China; played for a State Dinner at the White House during the Carter administration; and has issued two recordings, with Crystal Records and Musical Heritage Society.
In addition to his position at Michigan State University, Doug has been visiting professor at the University of Oregon, adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, and taught for 10 summer seasons at New England Music Camp and 25 summer seasons at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Randall Faust composed Harmonielehre for Solo Horn in 1996 in his honor.
Doug, with Neill Sanders, hosted an event in 1970 known as "The Horn Fandango," which set the stage for the development of regional horn workshops. Doug's Horn Fandango became an annual event, involving students from many Michigan music schools, with hosting duties rotating between the horn studios of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Western Michigan University. Featured artist alumni included Ifor James, A. David Krehbiel, and Barry Tuckwell. The final Horn Fandango was held in 1983. Doug hosted the IHS International Workshop at Michigan State University in 1978 and the Great Lakes Regional Workshop in 1988.
Though no longer an active teacher or performer, Doug attends as many concerts as possible on the nearby Michigan State University campus. In his retirement, he enjoys grilling and gardening, and looks forward to cataloging his large collection of printed and recorded music.
Doug received the Punto Award at the IHS Workshop in Eugene OR in 1996. He received the IHS Service Medal of Honor at the 2014 IHS Symposium in London. A profile appears in the November 1996 issue of The Horn Call.
