On May 1, 2005, The Western Illinois Horn Festival was presented by The Western Illinois Horn Institute of Western Illinois University, and Co-sponsored by The Illinois Arts Council and The Western Illinois Visiting Lecture Committee and the Council on Student Activities Funds. The 2005 Festival was a celebration of Horn Ensemble Music and featured a leader in the development of horn ensemble music: hornist, composer, and publisher Lowell Shaw. Participants in the 2005 Festival included horn ensembles from The University of Iowa, Jeffrey Agrell, Director; The University of Missouri, Columbia, Marcia Spence, Professor; Western Illinois University, Randall Faust, Professor; and from The University of Illinois: The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse, Kazmierz Machala, Professor.

The Horn Festival included horn ensemble rehearsals and lecture-demonstrations with Lowell Shaw discussing the history of his work from his many transcriptions to his original works, including selections from his books of Just Desserts and Fripperies.

Highlights of the two recitals included presentations of Lowell Shaw’s earliest transcriptions including “Blessing and Honor” from The Messiah by G.F. Händel and Pizzicato Ostinato from Symphony No. 4 by Tchaikovsky performed by The Western Illinois University Horn Quartet, a performance of new arrangements for horn ensemble by Marcia Spence, and a performance of The Concerto for Two Horns and Orchestra in E-flat Franz Joseph Haydn arranged by James Emerson, with Marcia Spence and Katie Andres, solo horns and The University of Missouri Horn Ensemble; and a notable panorama of works by Kazmierz Machala, Nicholas Tcherepnine, and Eugene Bozza performed by The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse : Audrey Good, Anthony Licata, Gerald Wood, and Molly Wood. The new and unique technique of Sound Painting was demonstrated and performed by University of Iowa Horn Choir Conducted by Jeffrey Agrell. The Festival closed with a progression of works by Lowell Shaw—including Just Desserts, Bipperies, Tripperies, Fripperies , and the Andante and Allegro .

Randall Faust, Director of The Western Illinois Horn Institute and Host, The Western Illinois Horn Festival 2005.

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Program Information

• Poster WIU Horn Festival 2005 (PDF)
• Lowell Shaw-Biographical Notes (PDF)
• 05.01.05 1:00 PM and 4:30 PM (Composite) Program (PDF)

The 2005 Festival Horn Choir with Lowell Shaw with WIU and area Hornists.

University of Missouri Horn Professor Marcia Spence with Lowell Shaw.

The University of Missouri Horn Ensemble, Marcia Spence and Lowell Shaw.

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.