THE WESTERN ILLINOIS HORN INSTITUTE – with support from THE ILLINOIS ARTS COUNCIL presented THE WESTERN ILLINOIS HORN FESTIVAL on April 18, 2004. Nashville Recording Artist, Hornist Jennifer Kummer was the featured clinician and soloist. Also honored at the Festival was Horn Professor Emeritus Roger Collins: founding hornist of The Camerata Woodwind Quintet, teacher, mentor, and friend to Western Hornists since 1966.

Guest Artist Jennifer Kummer performed on both the opening and closing recitals peforming a diversity of literature-including: Randall Faust’s Rondo (1997), composed in honor of Roger Collins, Jazz Set for Solo Horn by Douglas Hill, and a special work composed for Jennifer Kummer--Running To Safety (1991/2004) by the Los Angeles Hornist: Daniel Kelley, Vals Venezolano and Contradanza by Paquito D’Rivera and the Elegy for Mippy I for Horn and Piano by Leonard Bernstein. She was joined by her former teacher, Roger Collins, in a performance of Three American Folksongs by Randall E. Faust

Ms. Kummer presented a lecture titled: “From the Symphony Hall to the Recording Studio.” Ms. Kummer is particularly qualified to discuss this topic. From 1992-1997, she was the Principal Hornist of the Memphis Symphony. In addition she has performed as Assistant Principal Hornist of The Grant Park Symphony in Chicago, and has performed with the sections of the St. Louis Symphony and the Nashville Symphony. However, since 1997, she has performed in the recording studios in Nashville, Tennessee with many artists including Amy Grant and Vince Gill. During the course of her lecture, Jennifer presented a variety of musical examples from both experiences—as well as discussing the varieties of artistic gratification and financial compensation found in both popular and symphonic genres of horn performance.

A Master Class featuring students of a variety of area horn teachers followed Ms. Kummer’s lecture. These included Sean Elam, student of Christina Werling; Rachel Peterson, student of Lee Kessinger; and Leona Quist, student of Ingrid Mullane.

A very significant part of the Festival was performances of The Western Illinois Horn Ensemble: The Western Illinois CORnucopia performing Fanfare for the Southeast Horn Workshop by Randall Faust and Marvin Howe’s arrangement of The Russian Folk Song: Someone’s Horse is Standing There. Quite notable was a rousing performance of Heinrich Hübler’s Concerto for Four Horns which was performed by Jerry Beck, Karla Vilchez, Laurel Filzen, and Randall Faust, accompanied by pianist Jason Aquila.

Ms. Kummer joined Randall Faust in a presentation honoring Professor Emeritus Roger Collins, and the Festival Horn Choir, conducted by Roger Collins, performed Lowell Shaw’s transcriptions of The Prelude and Fugue in A minor J.S. Bach, and O Rest In the Lord by Felix Mendelssohn. The Festival concluded with the Festival Fanfare by Nicholas Perrini.

Program Information

• 04.18.04 Roger Collins-Festival Honoree: Biographical Notes by Randall Faust and Ingrid Mullane (PDF)
• O4.18.04 - 4:30 Program Jennifer Kummer, Roger Collins, Festival Horn Choir (PDF)
• O4.18.04 - 1:00 PM Program Jennifer Kummer and Ensembles (PDF)
• POSTER-Western Illinois Horn Festival 2004 (PDF)

General Information

For more information about the Western Illinois Horn Festival contact Randall E. Faust at RE-Faust@wiu.edu, 216 A Browne Music Hall, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL 61455. Phone: (309) 298-1300.