Horn Studio

The KU Horn Studio, led by Dr. Kelly Misko, is comprised of undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degree-seeking students ranging from DMA Performance Majors to Bachelor of Arts double majors to Music Education Majors and everything in between. Over the past few semesters, we had an eventful line-up of guest artists who presented masterclasses during our weekly studio classes such as: Kate Warren, David Krehbiel, Thomas Jostlein, Erik Ralske, Jeb Wallace, Albert Suarez, David Sullivan, Elizabeth Gray, David Gamble, and Steve Multer to name a few. In addition, we have a full emphasis on chamber music including everything from horn quartets to horn ensemble with many opportunities to perform together each semester. Recently, the KU Horn Studio was represented at the Mid-South Horn Workshop and the 56th International Horn Symposium in presentations, clinics, adjudications, competitions, and the inaugural College Corno Ensemble.

Students who choose to attend KU will build a technical foundation on all rudiments of horn playing and will explore musical expression through solo and ensemble opportunities. Students in the KU Horn Studio have recently participated in the concerto competition and were selected to perform Konzertstuck for Four Horns by Robert Schumann with KU’s premiere Wind Ensemble. In addition, students from the horn studio have placed every semester in the Honors Recital Competitions at KU and are leaders and gifted collaborators in all ensembles.

Dr. Misko prepares students for all aspects of a professional career involving music including professional documents such as resumes, curriculum vitaes, bios, teaching philosophies, PowerPoint clinic presentations, and cover letters as well as advising on master’s and DMA documents. Additionally, she covers topics such as performance anxiety, pedagogy, transposition and sight-reading skills, extended technique, audition-taking, posture and breathing, musicality, and other skills pertaining to music to make sure each student is well-rounded and versatile.

Beyond KU, our students have won orchestral jobs at the Bulgarian State Opera, Hawaii Symphony, Topeka Symphony, The National Guard Band and are on the sub lists with the Kansas City Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Wichita Symphony, and Moines Symphony to name a few. They have also won professorships at Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas San Angelo, the University of Talca Chile, and the University of Kansas. In addition, students have been accepted to many graduate programs including but not limited to: Indiana University, Eastman School of Music, University of Texas Austin, Southern Methodist University, the University of North Texas, Arizona State University, Manhattan School of Music, University of Oklahoma, the University of Missouri Kansas City, Boston University, and Duquesne University.

Reach out to Dr. Misko to schedule a tour, get a free lesson, sit in with one of our large ensembles, and learn more about joining the horn studio at the University of Kansas!