The 2025 Northwest Horn Symposium will be held in Eugene, Oregon on the campus of the University of Oregon, April 25-27.
Here is the Official Schedule
Competition Info
The NW Horn Society is offering four competitions at the April Symposium at the University of Oregon:
- Original Composition Competition – Friday, April 25, 11 am ($100 prize)
- High School Competition – Saturday, April 26, 5:00 pm (competitor must be 18 or under)
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1st prize – $100 cash, plus a $10,000 merit scholarship to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy* and and invitation to perform in the symposium Final Concert (not required.)
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2nd prize – $7,500 merit scholarship to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy*
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- Low Horn Mock Audition – Sunday, April 27, 10:15 am ($100 prize)
- Solo Competition – Sunday, April 27, 11:45 am ($100 prize)
We can’t wait to see you in April!
Featured Performers
Kevin Newton is a New York based horn player and educator. As a chamber musician he has performed with Imani Winds, Orchestra of St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Metropolitan Horn Authority, Roomful of Teeth and Tredici Bacci. A proponent of new music, Kevin has performed in several premieres including, most recently, Nathalie Joachim’s Seen, written for Imani Winds with whom he appeared as guest hornist. Other recent premieres include Untethered, a solo piece written for him by Erin Busch as a part of the 2020 Composers Conference. His horn quartet, Metropolitan Horn Authority will premiere several new commissioned works in 2021. Kevin is on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music and is the horn professor of Manhattan School of Music’s Contemporary Performance Program.
Informed by their decidedly un-Wagnerian values of inclusivity, diversity, and visibility, the LGBTuben Quintet aims to build and expand the cannon for their flexible ensemble and advance a non-hierarchical agenda that includes affecting positive social change and creating broader representation for the historically underrepresented.
In May of 2022, The Lawrence Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet released their eponymous debut album. The record features world premiere recordings of Rei Coman’s “Gaelic Call,” commissioned by the ensemble as well as adapted works by Eve Beglarian, John Cage, Moondog, Arvo Pärt, and Alex Temple. The LGBTuben Quintet has presented recitals and classes relating to creativity, inclusion, and multidisciplinary approaches at Oberlin College, the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and the International Women’s Brass Conference in Mito, Japan.
Prior to becoming a member of the Seattle Symphony in 2015, John Turman was awarded the position of principal horn of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as acting third horn.
In 2010, Mr. Turman was named one of the Yamaha Corporation’s Young Performing Artists and in 2013 was chosen as a finalist in the Houston Symphony’s Ima Hogg International Soloist Competition. Mr. Turman was awarded second prize in the wind division of the Shepherd School of Music Concerto Competition in 2015.
In addition to his solo and orchestral playing, Mr. Turman is a dedicated chamber musician. He is a founding member of the award-winning Noctua Wind Quintet, the Olympic Winds and the Southern Bells Horn Quartet. As a member of The Seattle Symphony Horns, he has performed and produced a substantial catalog of chamber music arrangements, recordings and videos along with his fantastic colleagues in the section.
Praised by The New York Times for her fearless and seductive playing, Seattle native Danielle Kuhlmann joined the Seattle Symphony after a three-year tenure with the San Diego Symphony. An avid interpreter of new music, she was Principal Horn of the American Composers Orchestra and performs with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). In addition to classical performances, Kuhlmann is a founding member of the all-female pop Horn quartet Genghis Barbie. Devoted to philanthropic work, Kuhlmann has spent four summers in the Philippines volunteering for the group Cultures in Harmony, a New York-based NGO that promotes cultural diplomacy through music. The group works with both professional and student-level musicians as well as indigenous tribal youth. In January of 2011, she volunteered in Kabul, Afghanistan, teaching and performing at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music.
* Info about Interlochen Merit Scholarships:
- Students currently in grades 8-11, including home-schooled students, are eligible to win this award. Students outside this age range may still win the competition, but are not eligible to receive the scholarship award. This merit scholarship offer is valid only for enrollment in Fall 2025 at the Interlochen Arts Academy (IAA) and is non-transferable and non-deferrable.
- Students currently enrolled at IAA are eligible to participate in and win the competition, but doing so will not affect their scholarship/financial-aid package.
- Winners will still need to complete an application to be accepted into IAA; more information can be found here: https://www.interlochen.org/academy-boarding-school/admission/how-to-apply. Should the horn studio be full at the time of acceptance, qualified students will be placed on a wait-list.
- Upon completion of the IAA application, students will be considered for financial aid in addition to their merit scholarship. Any financial aid award is in addition to the merit scholarship amount, and is based on parental income and financial need.
- This prize is a minimum award. Based on audition videos, exceptional applicants may be offered additional scholarship funding. However, merit scholarships are not “stackable.” For example, if you have already applied for Fall 2025 and received a merit scholarship, the higher of the two scholarships is the final merit scholarship offer.
- Please contact Dr. Lauren Hunt at lauren.hunt@interlochen.org with any questions.