The Top 10 Colleges for French Horn Performance

3. Colburn School – Los Angeles, CA

Notable Faculty: Andrew Bain

One of the leading horn players in the entire world, the Australian classical horn virtuoso Andrew Bain is the principal horn player of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A young teacher, he has already held teaching posts outside of Colburn at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, the Australian National Academy of Music, and the University of Melbourne. For those not in the know yet, Colburn is an entirely tuition-free program, like Curtis and the Yale School of Music. As you can imagine, it is incredibly selective: still, it is worth applying to, as having Andrew Bain as a teacher could be an incredible boost to your career.

2. The Juilliard School – New York, NY

Notable Faculty (Juilliard): Julie Landsman, Jennifer Montone, Erik Ralske

A significant pedagogue with a track record of launching students into successful careers, Juilliard horn faculty member Julie Landsman is a legend amongst horn professionals, having performed previously as principal horn of the Metropolitan Opera for 25 years. Fellow faculty member Jennifer Montone serves as principal horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, giving Juilliard an unusual advantage and distinction over other horn programs as being host to two of the most important French horn performers in the nation today. Erik Ralske, another notable faculty member at the Juilliard School, has been the principal horn player in the Metropolitan Opera since 2010, following a long tenure with the New York Philharmonic, and is widely considered one of the biggest names in french horn today.

Listen to the Faculty: Check out Jennifer Montone performing Penderecki’s Horn Concerto on this Grammy-winning disc.

1. Rice University Shepherd School of Music – Houston, TX

Notable Faculty: William VerMeulen

An unparalleled horn teacher of great artistic breadth and a resume’ of overwhelming accomplishment, William VerMuelen was cited by Ronald Reagan with the award of “Distinguished Teacher of America Certificate of Excellence” in 1985. Since then, his students have won positions in the most coveted positions the brass world has to offer, including the symphony orchestras of Boston, New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago, as well as the famed Canadian Brass. An in-demand horn player who has been principal of the Houston Symphony since 1990, William VerMuelen takes on the most accomplished, impressive, and excellent young talent in the French horn world today. He is considered by some to be the most important horn teacher in the world.