Articles - Houghton Horns

Brian Hecht, a native of Dallas, Texas, was recently awarded the newly-created position of Utility Trombone with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He will be coming to Dallas from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Bass Trombone since September 2013. Prior to joining the Atlanta Symphony, Mr. Hecht held the bass trombone position with …

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Ellen Dinwiddie Smith has been a member of the Minnesota Orchestra since 1993 and currently serves as third horn. Smith is Adjunct Professor of Horn at the University of Minnesota and has served as Young-Artist-Program faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music Summerfest since 2015. She was the founding Artistic Director of the Colonial Chamber Series (2006-2017) and organized …

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James Gourlay is a Tuba virtuoso, Artistic & General Director of the River City Brass Band, newly appointed Director of Bands at Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music and all-around renaissance man.  Gourlay was born in Scotland, where, at the age of ten, he was “volunteered” to play in his school brass band. Being …

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William Gerlach began his position as principal trumpet with the National Symphony Orchestra in the 2014–2015 season. Growing up in Menomonee Falls, WI, he started playing trumpet when it was time to join the 6th grade band. William (Billy) earned his undergraduate degree at Indiana University under the instruction of John Rommel. During his time …

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Rebecca Cherian was awarded the position of co-principal trombone of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra by Lorin Maazel in 1989, and has been a trombone instructor at Carnegie Mellon University since 1993. Cherian was a founding member of the International Women’s Brass Conference in 1994 and served as the IWBC Newsletter Editor for five years. A …

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Jeff Scott is the Associate Professor of Horn at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, hornist of the Imani Winds, a former member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theater of Harlem orchestras and has performed numerous times with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra under the direction of Wynton Marsalis. Additionally, Mr. …

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John DiCesare is Principal Tuba of the Seattle Symphony, the Colorado Music Festival, and former Principal Tuba of the Louisville Orchestra. He has performed with he orchestras of Cleveland, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis, among others. A passionate teacher, John has held many positions in higher education, and is currently on the University of Washington …

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Ryan Beach is Principal Trumpet of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and host of the “That’s Not Spit, It’s Condensation!” podcast. Ryan won first prize at the 2012 Ellsworth Smith International Trumpet Solo Competition, and previously held the position of Principal Trumpet with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. After earning a bachelor of music degree from Oklahoma …

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Proudly hailing from Washington, D.C., Hakeem Bilal is an internationally sought-after performer and teacher. Recent highlights include performing at the Indianapolis 500, and masterclasses in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Beijing, China.  Mr. Bilal holds degrees from The Peabody Conservatory and Carnegie Mellon University, and is the Assistant Professor of Trombone at West Virginia University. Hakeem has performed …

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