ABOUT THE AHQ
"...the American Horn Quartet...is the finest brass chamber ensemble in the world." -American Record Guide
Entering its fourth decade, the American Horn Quartet continues to be unique in the field of brass chamber music. Their exuberant performances have brought audiences all over the world to their feet. In 1982, four American horn players who were working and residing in Europe met for the first time to explore the potential of the horn quartet, a chamber music formation with a surprisingly long tradition. They quickly began to supplement the existing repertoire with their own compositions and arrangements. The group has undergone a few personnel changes since the early days, but has always maintained the highest standards of artistry and technical mastery.
The individual members of the AHQ are all successful soloists in their own right, having won top international competitions in Geneva, Prague, New York, Passau, and Munich. To these accolades, they added top honors with the quartet at chamber music competitions in Barcs, Hungary (Philip Jones Competition), Brussels, and Tokyo.
Besides being featured at horn and brass festivals around the globe, the American Horn Quartet has established itself at regular chamber music concert series on the international circuit. They have also appeared as soloists with numerous symphony orchestras, among them the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, Philharmonica Hungarica, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the Brabants Orchestra of Eindhoven, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and the Bordeaux Aquitaine Symphony Orchestra in France, just to name a few.
The AHQ has appeared as featured soloists at several International Horn Society symposia, including Tallahassee, Florida (where they received a five-minute standing ovation after their performance), Kansas City, Indiana, Yamagata, Valencia, Denver, Brisbane, London, Los Angeles (where they received a five-minute standing ovation before the concert began), and Montreal. Other highlights include performances at the Barbican in London, the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, an appearance with orchestra at the Tonhalle in Zürich, recording collaborations with the horn sections of the New York Philharmonic and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, a recital in Melbourne, Australia featuring the great horn soloist Barry Tuckwell, and many more.
Summing up the career of an ensemble that has accomplished so much, presented hundreds of concerts and masterclasses worldwide, and has produced ten albums, is a difficult task indeed. Therefore we invite you to discover the American Horn Quartet for yourself.
Members:
"The AHQ dives into the heart of the music with passion and precision - it's an immense pleasure to bring this ensemble back to the world stage." - Kristina Mascher-Turner
"Beethoven once said: 'Art demands that we never stand still.' The AHQ is a perfect vehicle to find new ways to perform our repertoire at the highest level." - Geoffrey Winter
"Chamber music was my first love, and it's a dream come true to perform at the highest level as a member of the AHQ." --Denise Tryon
Kristina Mascher-Turner, former principal horn of the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra (Flemish Radio Orchestra), hails from Albany, Oregon, and is once again based in Brussels. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Douglas Hill) and the Hanns Eisler Conservatory in Berlin (Kurt Palm) and also studied privately with Fergus McWilliam of the Berlin Philharmonic. Early in her career, she was engaged in various chamber and symphony orchestras, including the Odense Symfoniorkester in Denmark and three tours as principal horn with the Gustav-Mahler-Jugendorchester under the direction of Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, and Kent Nagano. She played full-time with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra for several years and is a regular guest with orchestras and ensembles around Europe.
Since 2009 she has been a member of the world-famous American Horn Quartet, with whom she has toured and recorded extensively. Kristina is also a member of the Ni Ensemble of Luxembourg (1st prize at the 9th Passau International Chamber Music Competition for Brass Ensembles) and forms with husband Kerry Turner the Virtuoso Horn Duo. Their critically acclaimed albums can be found on the MSR Classics and Naxos labels. She has been a member of the Summit Brass and artist faculty for the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute since 2022.
Ms. Mascher-Turner has given master classes and performed in over 30 countries on six continents, widely recognized for her beautiful sound and compelling musicality. She served as Vice President of the International Horn Society from 2015-2021 and was editor of the IHS digital newsletter, "Horn and More.” She received the International Horn Society's prestigious Punto Award in 2022. Horn aside, Kristina sings with a semi-professional vocal octet, has a passion for travel, food, and languages, and is a certified Reiki master.
Kristina performs on a Ricco Kühn W393X triple horn.
Geoffrey Winter grew up in a musical family near Seattle, Washington. His early horn instruction began with Robert Bonnevie (then principal horn with the Seattle Symphony.) Upon starting his university studies, he received instruction from Christopher Leuba, professor of horn at the University of Washington, Seattle. During these early years, he had many opportunities in the Seattle area to play in both youth orchestras and in various chamber music ensembles long before he decided to pursue horn playing as a profession. Later he attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where he continued his education with Vince DeRosa and James Decker, both leading hornists in the Hollywood soundtrack recording industry.
After his first professional appointment as Associate Principal Horn with the Orquésta Sinfonica Municipal in Caracas, Venezuela, Mr. Winter later moved to Germany when he won the position as 3./1. Horn with the Philharmonia Hungarica in Marl. Soon afterward in 1985, he was asked to join the American Horn Quartet. Later he was awarded prizes for his skills as a soloist at international music competitions in Markneukirchen, (DDR) and the ARD Competition in Munich (BRD). Since 1988 Mr. Winter has been the principal horn of the Beethoven Orchestra of Bonn, Germany.
Beyond his activities with the AHQ and his orchestra in Bonn, Mr. Winter has had the chance to perform with many other orchestras around the world. He has appeared as a soloist with ensembles such as the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Radio Orchestra of Berlin, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra, and the Beethoven Orchestra. He has also had the opportunity to perform as guest principal horn at the Seattle Wagner Festival, the Ring Festival in Melbourne, Australia as well as with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra in Wellington. In between these engagements, Mr. Winter can also be found teaching at horn workshops and festivals in and around Germany.
Geoffrey plays a 1978 Paxman 72 XL, one of only three ever built.
Denise Tryon is the Associate Professor of Horn at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. Tryon joined the AHQ in 2019. Previously, Tryon was 4th horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra as well as holding positions with the Detroit, Baltimore, Columbus, and New World Symphonies. She also served as the Professor of Horn at both the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music from 2018-2023 and the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore from 2007-2019.
In 1989 Tryon graduated from the 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 great composers such as John Harbison, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, and Elliot Carter.
An active and accomplished educator, Tryon is sought for her masterclasses. She has taught extensively in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Tryon has been a featured artist at many International Horn Society (IHS) symposiums and regional workshops. She has been a featured artist at the Nordic Hornfest, BIBA (Blekinge International Brass Academy), Warsaw Horn Workshops, CORNO Brass Music Workshop, Orford Winds, and Domaine Forget. Since 2017 she has been on the faculty at Rafael Mendez Brass Institute in Denver, CO. Frequently she is on faculty at Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra (NYO)
Tryon released her debut solo album, SO•LOW in 2015. As part of this album, she commissioned 4 new pieces for low horn and piano. A Pair of Aces, a duo horn album between Tryon and Karl Pituch of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, was released in 2017. It won a Silver Medal in the Global Music Awards. Hope Springs Eternal, Tryon's second solo album, where she commissioned 6 new pieces for low horn, was released in 2020. The American Prize named Tryon and this album as the Winner for Instrumental Performance in 2022.
In 2009, Tryon founded Audition Mode, a yearly horn seminar, with Karl Pituch. The seminar focuses on the skills horn players need to be successful in orchestral auditions.
Denise Tryon plays a Rauch R1 with the AHQ.
"I am incredibly honoured to be joining this amazing chamber ensemble! The quartet has such a rich history, and I look forward to making music with my wonderful colleagues."
-Tod Bowermaster
Tod Bowermaster, a native of Ottawa, Illinois, is Third Horn of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 1995. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he studied with the late Dale Clevenger and Richard Goldberg. He was also very fortunate to have the opportunity to study with the great brass pedagogue Arnold Jacobs.
Noted for his "gorgeous solo playing" (St. Louis Post-Dispatc) and his "golden-honey tone" (Kansas City Star), he released The Horn in Song, a collection of lyrical music for horn and piano, in 2012. He served as Acting Principal Horn of the St. Louis Symphony for the 2002-2003 season and has appeared as a soloist with the orchestra on numerous occasions. He has also performed as a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony and the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra. He has performed with the orchestras of Chicago, Houston, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, as well as the World Orchestra for Peace in Chicago, New York and London.
Winner of the 1999 American Horn Competition and the 1982 Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, Tod has been a regular participant in numerous American chamber music festivals, including the Kapalua Music Festival on Maui, the Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport, Maine, Summerfest in Kansas City, the Innsbruck Festival outside of St. Louis, Strings in the Mountains in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and the Landmarks Society Chamber Concerts on the island of St. Croix.
He is also in great demand as a teacher, having been invited to give recitals and masterclasses at many of the top American music schools. Recent engagements have included being a guest professor at Northwestern University and adjunct faculty at Indiana University, as well as the FEMUSC Festival in Brazil.
When not playing the horn, he enjoys playing tennis, singing, and spending time with his children, Kathryn and Ryan.
Tod plays on a Kortesmaki triple horn hand-crafted by Karl Hill.
Former AHQ member Kerry Turner has become one of the most recognized names, not only in the horn world but in brass playing in general. Whether as a composer or a performing artist on the horn, he appears regularly on the great concert stages of the world. Mr. Turner’s major ensembles with whom he has performed include the world-famous American Horn Quartet, the stunning Virtuoso Horn Duo, and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra (from which he recently retired, after 35 years with this ensemble). As a member of these prestigious organizations, he has concertized on four continents. He is also a frequently invited soloist and clinician, having performed and taught in Germany, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, the United States, and the Czech Republic, just to name a few.
A native of San Antonio, Texas, Kerry Turner received his Artist Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music in New York and, as a Fulbright Scholar, continued his studies with Hermann Baumann at the Stuttgart College of Music and Performing Arts. Following his studies, he placed 5th at the Geneva International Horn Competition and won the Bronze Medal at the 39th Prague Spring International Music Competition. He is an Honorary Member of the International Horn Society.
Mr. Turner’s compositional career has sky-rocketed over the past several years. His works for horn in combination with virtually every genre of chamber music continue to be heard literally around the world. He has been commissioned by many organizations, including the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, the Luxembourg Philharmonic, the Japanese Horn Ensemble, and the Richmond, Virginia Chamber Music Society, and many others. He has been awarded top prizes at the International Horn Society Composition Contest as well as the IBLA Foundation.
Since his retirement from the horn in 2023, Kerry has been much in demand as a tenor in several of Brussels' finest choral ensembles.
In his spare time, Mr. Turner also studies languages (he is fluent in 4 and dabbles in a few others), and loves to cook.
Kerry is a Dürk Horns Artist and performs on the new Ab Aeternum model.