“The Horn Opera Project was such a useful tool when I was preparing for an opera audition. Most horn players become familiar with dozens of orchestral excerpts as well as entire works from which they are taken. In comparison, very little time is spent learning equally great music for the horn from the world of opera. It was reassuring to verify that I had found the correct printed excerpts from the audition list by comparing them to the PDFs of the printed music on the website. It was also extremely helpful to be able click on the audio links to hear the excerpts performed in context, since finding the excerpts within the full opera — even with a score — can be much more difficult than finding excerpts within orchestral works. It was refreshing to work on these excerpts, and think all horn players will find this to be an immensely helpful resource.”
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This website is an outgrowth of my doctoral dissertation Horn Opera Excerpts: A Suggested Addition to Current American Pedagogy. Research for this project included acquiring data from a nationwide survey of college and university horn professors, and the compilation of excerpts from American horn opera audition lists. I am grateful to Mariel Stauff at the Indiana University William & Gayle Cook Music Library for her help accessing horn parts for this project.
About the Author
©Kimono Photography
Ericka Tyner Grodrian serves as the School of the Arts Philanthropy Officer, Adjunct Instructor of Horn, and Managing Director of the Carlos Moseley Chamber Music Series at Converse University. These roles allow Ericka to happily interact with students, alumni, and donors alike, planning special events and hosting concerts that highlight and support the vibrant community of musical excellence at Converse.
Dr. Grodrian was previously an Associate Professor of Music, teaching in higher education for nearly 15 years. She earned her doctorate from the esteemed Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and created Beyond the Short Call as an outgrowth of her dissertation. Her research is frequently used by opera companies including The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Opera Atlanta, and at music schools including Northwestern and Indiana University. She is the Division Winner of the 2010 Susan Slaughter International Brass Solo Competition.
Away from Philanthropy Ericka continues to perform professionally and enjoys listening to podcasts, watching Sci-Fi, and spending time with her husband, John, and their black standard poodles, Dexter and Ziggy Stardust.
Check out my interview with Dr. John Ericson on the Horn Notes Podcast!
Available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and the Horn Notes Website
Recording the podcast with John Ericson, November 2016