Ensembles

The Wrocław Historical Horn Quartet was founded in 2023, inspired by musicologist and horn player Tomasz Grochalski. The ensemble is composed of horn players associated with various orchestras in Poland: Tomasz Grochalski (Warsaw Chamber Opera), Marcin Drużdż (military orchestra), Juliusz Tkacz (Wrocław Opera), and Jan Sikora (Wrocław Opera). The quartet specializes in performing music from the 19th century and first half of the 20th century on historical valve and piston horns. In 2023, they recorded Ignacy Jan Paderewski's horn quartet, discovered in the collections of the National Library.

The ensemble "Nippon" was organized for IHS 58. It consists of active and retired orchestra musicians, current and retired professors, freelancers, amateurs, and students. Two members, Sumiharu Arima (former principal player of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra) and Nozomu Segawa (IHS Honorary Member), lead this ensemble and were classmates who graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts 43 years ago.

The goal is for all Japanese participants in IHS 58 to perform together on this ensemble's stage and take part in the gathering of horn enthusiasts from around the world. Furthermore, the horn is an instrument that creates harmony. Just as the horn produces warm harmonies, we will play with prayers for peace, hoping that harmony will be maintained throughout the world.

Founded in 1978 by young and mid-career horn players active in major orchestras in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the ensemble has since developed a wide range of performance activities. These include an annual and highly exciting subscription concert, appearances on NHK-FM radio, participation in various events, salon concerts and school outreach programs, concerts organized by the Japan Horn Society.

At its regular concert series, the ensemble has welcomed distinguished guest artists such as David Cooper of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, fostering international artistic exchange at the highest level.

In 1995, the ensemble appeared at the International Horn Symposium 27 held in Yamagata, Japan, and in 2014 at the International Horn Symposium 46 in London.

In addition, the ensemble organizes an annual summer camp, inviting internationally renowned artists such as Stefan Dohr, Kerry Turner, and Kristina Mascher-Turner as guest instructors, placing strong emphasis on education and the development of the next generation of horn players.

With a repertoire of more than 200 works, the ensemble continues to expand its musical horizons by regularly commissioning new compositions, alongside original arrangements created exclusively for the group.

The Trompa Brasilis project has its roots in the horn class of Professor Will Sanders at the Karlsruhe University of Music and builds on over 30 years of fruitful collaboration at the Brazil-Germany Festival.

This festival is the result of a successful partnership between four institutions: the Karlsruhe University of Music, the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, the Villa-Lobos Institute at UNIRIO and the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD) – the German Government's Academic Exchange Agency, which promotes an intense professional and friendly exchange between the institutions' teachers and students. Many alumni of the program currently play in major orchestras around the world and teach at universities, including as part of Trompa Brasilis.

This horn octet is composed of horn players who reside in Germany (Felipe Freitas, Mateus Lisboa, Johann Pereira and Jônatas Nascimento) and Brazil (Daniel Filho, Dayanderson Dantas, Lucca Zambonini and Tiago Carneiro). Members of the group have performed regularly with Rotterdam Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, São Paulo Symphony, Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, and Opera and Symphony Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro, among others.

The group's tour has included performances in Germany, the Netherlands, and in Paris, France, culminating in a recording of the works prepared for the concerts.

The ensemble's central purpose is to inspire audiences in a special way by sharing the diversity and richness of Brazilian rhythms, many of which are still unknown in Europe.

Founded in 2015, the NU CORNO has become the premiere horn ensemble for the commissioning and performance of new works for the genre. Under the guidance of Founder and Artistic Director Steven Cohen, the last decade has seen NU CORNO premiering countless new works as a featured ensemble at numerous International Horn Symposia.

Established as a part of the NU CORNO family in 2022 to focus on jazz and commercial music, NU CORNO JAZZ premiered at the International Horn Society Symposium in Montreal, Canada in 2023. Under the musical direction of Dr. Steve Schaughency, the ensemble of 8 horns with a rhythm section of piano, bass, and drums, is made up of a roster of internationally recognized horn players familiar with the varied styles and nuances of jazz and commercial music.

In three IHS appearances, the ensemble has already introduced 23 new pieces to the large horn ensemble repertoire from internationally known jazz composers and arrangers. In addition, many of the world’s leading jazz horn players have been featured with the group as soloists: Arkady Shilkloper, Tom Varner, Adam Unsworth, Victor Prado, Shanyse Strickland and Aliyah Danielle. NU CORNO Jazz strives to bring the highest levels of performance to all genres of jazz and commercial music by bringing these new works to life.

The China Horn Ensemble was founded in 2015 by Man Yi, a horn teacher at the Central Conservatory of Music. It quickly resonated with outstanding young Chinese horn players at home and abroad, forming this vibrant horn ensemble. Over the past decade, the ensemble has continued to appear at important music festivals and performance venues at home and abroad, becoming a representative group for the development of Chinese brass music in recent years. Many members are currently engaged in teaching work in major music colleges and universities. They are not only performers, but also educators dedicated to cultivating young music talents.

The China Horn Ensemble recently held concerts in Berlin, Paris, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Beijing to commemorate its 10th anniversary. Industry insiders believe that the international tour of the China Horn Ensemble not only demonstrated its superb professional standards, but also won more attention and recognition for Chinese horn art worldwide.