CCM Welcomes Denise Tryon as Associate Professor of Horn

CCM Interim Dean bruce d. mcclung has announced the addition of acclaimed hornist Denise Tryon to the college’s roster of distinguished performance faculty members. Tryon’s appointment as Associate Professor of Horn begins on Aug. 15, 2018.

An accomplished performer and educator, Tryon is a native of Roseville, MN, and has served as Horn Professor at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore since 2007. Previously, Tryon was fourth horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra (2009-17). She has also held positions with the Detroit (2003-09), Baltimore (2000-03), Columbus (1998-2000) and New World (1995-98) Symphonies as well as participated in the Colorado Music Festival and the Pacific Music Festival. A celebrated solo performer, Tryon has performed recitals in Sweden, Norway, Poland, Japan, Canada and the United States.

In 1989 Tryon graduated from the famed Interlochen Arts Academy and in 1993 received her Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in Boston. She received the Presidential Scholarship while in the Artist Diploma Program at NEC with the Taiyo Wind Quintet, which won the Coleman Chamber Competition and worked with renowned composers such as Luciano Berio, Elliott Carter, John Harbison and György Ligeti.

An active and esteemed educator, Tryon is sought out for her master classes. She has taught extensively in the United States, Scandinavia, Europe, Asia and South America. Beth Graham of the Warsaw Philharmonic and founder of the Warsaw Horn Workshops explains, “In just a few seconds of listening to a student she can diagnose deep-seated problems and give immediate fixes, often with a healthy dose of humor as well. The transformations she can accomplish in just a short time are truly remarkable.”

Tryon released her debut solo album, SO•LOW, in 2015. As a part of this album, she commissioned four new pieces for low horn and piano. A review by Gramophone Magazine observed, “Tryon plays these works with sonorous fluidity and dexterity, ending with a bit of captivating acrobatics.” SO•LOW received a Global Music Award, Bronze Medal.

In 2009 Tryon founded yearly horn seminar Audition Mode with Karl Pituch. In 2010 she was an International Horn Society (IHS) Northeast Workshop Featured Artist. She was a contributing artist at the IHS Symposium in San Francisco in 2011, as well as one of the Solo Artists at the Nordic Hornfest in Norway in 2012. Tryon was on the horn faculty at BIBA (Blekinge International Brass Academy) in Sweden in 2013. She has been the Featured Artist at the Warsaw Horn Workshops in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Tryon was a Featured Artist at the IHS MidNorth Horn Workshop in 2014 and 2016, and in 2015 she was a Featured Artist at the IHS Symposium in LA. In 2016, Tryon was on faculty during the brass weeks at Domaine Forget. Tryon was the Featured Artist at the IHS NorthWest Horn Workshop in 2017.

On the announcement of her appointment, mcclung commented, “Tryon is a superb addition to our faculty and a most appropriate successor to Professor Randy Gardner, who retires this spring after a distinguished 22-year tenure at CCM. Tryon’s expertise as a performing artist, orchestral musician and pedagogue will help us continue to prepare future generations of performing artists for positions with leading orchestras and on the world’s stage. I am grateful to Horn Search Committee Chair James Bunte and committee members Timothy Anderson, Timothy Northcut, Sandra Rivers and Alan Siebert for their work and dedication to find CCM’s next great horn professor.”

You can learn  more about Tryon by visiting http://denisetryon.com.

Please join us in welcoming Professor Tryon to the CCM family!

CCM Alumnus Austin Larson Joins the Colorado Symphony

CCM alumnus Austin Larson. Photography by Pete Checchia.

We are delighted to report that CCM alumnus Austin Larson (BM French Horn, 2012) has joined the Colorado Symphony as Assistant Principal Horn.

Larson has previously held the Second Horn position with New Jersey’s Symphony in C (formerly the Haddonfield Symphony) in addition to summer positions with the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra and Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland.

Larson has been highly successful in many competitions, including First Prize wins in both the International Horn Competition of America and the International Horn Society’s Premier Soloist Competition. Larson has also appeared as a soloist at the Music for All Symposium, International Horn Symposium and twice on Wisconsin Public Radio. You can learn more about some of Larson’s competition wins here.

A native of Neenah, Wisconsin, Larson holds degrees from both CCM and the Curtis Institute of Music. While at CCM, he studied with Professor of Horn Randy Gardner.

A strong believer in music advocacy, Larson has also been involved with numerous charitable organizations, including Horns a Plenty Christmas and Classical Revolution, and has raised funds for music scholarships both at UC and in the Northeast Wisconsin area.

For more information, visit www.austin-larson.com.

CCM Alumni Yi Li and Amanda Woodbury Named Grand Finalist Winners of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2014 National Council Auditions

From left to right, CCM alumni Yi Li and Amanda Woodbury.

CCM alumni Yi Li (AD, ’13) and Amanda Woodbury (MM, ’12) have been named Grand Finals Winners of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2014 National Council Auditions.

A tenor, Li is a member of the Washington National Opera’s Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.

Woodbury, a soprano, is in her second year at the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at LA Opera.

Li and Woodbury were among nine singers competing in the Met’s prestigious and highly competitive Grand Finals Concert this past Sunday, March 30. The finalists were accompanied by the Met Orchestra led by Marco Armiliato. You can learn more about all of the 2014 National Council Winners here.

This marks the second consecutive year that CCM trained singers have won the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions: bass-baritone Thomas Richards was named a Grand Finals Winner in 2013.

WQXR, New York’s Classical Music Radio Station, will broadcast performances and interviews with all of this year’s winners at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1. Learn more by visiting www.wqxr.org/#!/story/video-webcast-metropolitan-opera-national-council-award-winners.

Learn more courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer here.

CCM Alumna Audrey Luna Wins Grammy for Best Opera Recording

Audrey Luna (center) as Ariel in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of ‘The Tempest.’

Congratulations to CCM alumna Audrey Luna (MM ’03, AD ’05), soprano, on her Grammy win last night! Luna received a Grammy for Best Opera Recording for singing the role of Ariel on the Metropolitan Opera recording of Thomas Adès’ The Tempest.

Born in Salem, Oregon, the soprano studied with Barbara Honn during her time at CCM. You can read more about her Grammy win courtesy of Janelle Gelfand and the Cincinnati Enquirer here.

You can read Luna’s recent Opera News “Sound Bite” spotlight here.

CCM Student Named Grand Finalist Winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2013 National Council Auditions

Artist Diploma student Thomas Richards, bass-baritone.

CCM Artist Diploma candidate Thomas Richards, bass-baritone, has been named a Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2013 National Council Auditions.

A student of CCM Professor of Voice William McGraw, Richards was one of 10 singers competing in the Met’s prestigious and highly competitive Grand Finals Concert this past Sunday, March 10. The finalists were accompanied by the Met Orchestra led by Marco Armiliato. Richards and five other young artists were named the winners of this year’s National Council Auditions.

WQXR, New York’s Classical Music Radio Station, will broadcast performances and interviews with all of this year’s winners at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 11. Visit www.wqxr.org to listen online or watch a live video stream of the performances and interviews.

The Cincinnati Enquirer also published an interview with Richards on the eve of his Grand Finals-winning performance this weekend. You can read that interview online at news.cincinnati.com/article/20130310/ENT07/303100029/CCM-student-finals-Met-contest.

Local audiences can next see Richards in CCM’s Mainstage Series production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, running April 4-7 in UC’s Corbett Auditorium.

CCM Professor Clare Callahan Honored by the Guitar Foundation of America

Professor of Classical Guitar Clare Callahan.

Congratulations to CCM Professor of Classical Guitar Clare Callahan on receiving the Guitar Foundation of America’s 2013 Distinguished Service Award!

Learn more about this award here.

You will have the opportunity to congratulate Professor Callahan yourself by joining us at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 6 as the CCM Classical Guitar Department celebrates its 40th anniversary. This special concert features current students, alumni, Preparatory Department guitarists, summer workshop participants and the premiere of a new commissioned company piece by Jeffrey Van! The concert will be held in UC’s Patricia Corbett Theater and is FREE and open to the general public.

CCM Alumnus’ Alternative Career Path Led To UC Employment On A Global Scale

CCM Alumnus Spencer Utt spent a good deal of his time as a UC student exploring the world. Now he’s across the world, sharing the university’s strengths with prospective college students in Vietnam.

Utt is UC’s new Vietnam Country Coordinator – a full-time position in Vietnam under International Admissions – to expand the university’s reputation in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

CCM Alumnus Honored With 2012 Opera News Award

Earlier this week, the editors of Opera News announced the honorees for the 2012 Opera News Awards. We are delighted to report that this year’s winners include CCM alumnus countertenor David Daniels (BM, 1990).

CCM Classical Guitar Ensemble in Concert May 8

Members of CCM’s Classical Guitar Ensemble.

CCM’s Classical Guitar Ensemble of undergraduate guitarists will present its 39th annual Spring Concert at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, in UC’s Patricia Corbett Theater. The concert is free and open to the general public.

Tuesday’s program includes solos, duos, trios, quartets and full company pieces by Praetorius, Scarlatti, Bach, Falla, Roux, Assad, Tocher, Merlin, and Tedesco, among others.

Musical America Names CCM Student as ‘New Artist of the Month’ for March 2012

Artist Diploma candidate Yi Li with Mark Gibson and the CCM Philharmonia.

Congratulations to first-year Artist Diploma candidate Yi Li for being named “New Artist of the Month” by Musical America! Each month, Musical America spotlights an important emerging talent with an in-depth profile. You can view Li’s profile here.