Hornswoggle 2021 - Houghton Horns

Hornswoggle 2021

​​The ​​Hornswoggle French Horn Workshop serves students, amateurs, professionals and educators with growth, recruiting, and networking opportunities within the Horn community.  Communal learning opportunities abound in a relaxed atmosphere, free from the interruptions of modern life and technology. 

Featured guest artists this year include Dennis and Karen Houghton, Dr. Kenneth Iyescas and Dr. Brent Shires. The workshop will be held Memorial Day Weekend May 28-30, 2021. Click here for more details and enrollment.

Hornswoggle premiered in 1980 as the first music workshop in the United States solely dedicated to the study of the French Horn. The event featured hornist Dale Clevenger.  Creator Elliott Higgins would select guest artists from three groups; winners of the Heldenleiben Horn Competition, the world’s best-known performers and prominent teachers, or unknown young artists whose abilities needed to be brought to light within the Horn community.

The Memorial Weekend 3-day event is located in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico at Hummingbird Music Camp, run by the Higgins family since 1958.  Hummingbird was known within the horn community by Father K.L. Higgins and son Elliott Higgins, both Horn players of great merit. Hornswoggle would kick off on Friday, utilizing the Hummingbird facilities as participants attended various educational clinics and rehearsals.  On Saturday evening, the regional artists had a recital for all in attendance.  This is an opportunity for regional artists to both display their abilities but also for professors to possibly identify future students.  The event culminated on Sunday in a performance by all participants with an audience comprised of incoming students and parents for the first week’s Hummingbird Music Camp (ages 8-18, all musical instruments).  Hornswoggle served as the kickoff event for the following 9 weeks of Hummingbird Music Camp. 

Elliott passed away in 2014 and Hornswoggle was retired until the family found someone to take on the logistic and bookkeeping responsibilities required for the event.  Click here for more information on your current hosts, Karl and Ericha Kemm.

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