Southeast Horn Workshop hosted at UGA

From left: UGA assistant professor of horn James Naigus, guest artists Richard Deane and Victoria Knudtson, and Meigs professor of horn and associate dean in the Franklin College  Jean Martin-Williams before a performance at the Southeast Horn Workshop February 23-25, 2024.

This spring, Jean Martin-Williams, Meigs professor of horn and associate dean in the Franklin College and James Naigus , assistant professor of horn, co-hosted the Southeast Horn Workshop (SEHW) at the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music (HHSOM). This regional workshop of the International Horn Society has been held every year at different universities since 1978 and provides horn students a range of experiences from master classes and performances, to competitions, networking, and professional development.

At this year’s workshop, the HHSOM hosted nearly 300 students for the three-day period. While most were from the Southeast, several students also attended from Texas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Indiana, and more.

A major component of the SEHW are the student competitions and several students from UGA placed in some of the top categories. Cal Hughes (BMUS ‘24/ BS  ‘24) was named first place in the Undergraduate Solo Competition and Joshua Wood (MM ‘24, DMA ‘27) placed first in the Graduate Student Solo Competition. The UGA horn quartet, including Hughes, Wood, Marianna Schwark (BMUS ‘26), and Jake Wadsworth (BMUS ‘25), was runner-up in the Quartet Competition.

“At this year’s Southeast Horn Workshop, all events seemed to point to one idea; the best music is achieved upon belief in yourself and your abilities,” said Wood. “I believe that this workshop inspired creativity, as many pieces that were performed were either arranged or composed by horn faculty and students. I am certain that those in attendance found themselves inspired to create pieces like this as well.”

“The Southeast has a rich tradition of horn workshops serving the collegiate and avocational players of our region,” added Naigus. “Hosting the 2024 Southeast Horn Workshop was a wonderful opportunity to provide musical and educational experiences not only for our community, but especially for our students at the HHSOM. We are so proud of not only how our students handled the tremendous tasks of hosting, but also their level of preparation and performance during the workshop itself.”

Seven renowned guest artists contributed to the master classes and performances for the event, including headliners Richard Deane and Victoria Knudtson.

Deane joined the New York Philharmonic as associate principal horn in September 2014. Previously, he served as third horn of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra since 1987, participating in more than 80 recordings, including 20 Grammy Award winners, for Telarc International. He also performed with the Atlanta Chamber Players and was a member of the Atlanta Symphony Brass Quintet, with which he toured Norway as part of the Olympic cultural exchange between Lillehammer and Atlanta.

Knudtson is currently serving as the Assistant Principal/Utility Horn of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, Knudtson performed with the Indiana University Symphony Orchestra and the Yale New Music Ensemble, and frequently appeared in recitals on the Curtis stage. Knudtson was a horn fellow at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan with music director Valery Gergiev in 2018 and the Boston Symphony’s Tanglewood Music Center in 2019.

“UGA has hosted the Southeast Horn Workshop in the past, but the 2024 version seemed especially terrific,” said Martin-Williams. “We had students from over thirty different colleges and the attentiveness, curiosity,  and camaraderie shown was quite heartening.  The future of the horn looks very bright!”