All Posts By

Preston Shepard

In Horn Signal

Julie Pilant Horn Interview – Horn Signal #11

Julie Pilant Horn Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #11 of Horn Signal! This episode features an interview with hornist Julie Pilant, formerly of the Met, now with Utah Symphony.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

About Julie Pilant

Julia Pilant is currently the acting 3rd horn for the Utah Symphony/Utah Opera, and a regular guest with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra horn section and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Previously, she was the assistant principal horn for the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for 14 years and a horn instructor for the Bard College Conservatory of Music for 16 years. Prior to holding those positions, she was the principal horn of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra for 10 years. Ms. Pilant also freelanced for several decades in New York City and performed regularly with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New York City Ballet, and numerous Broadway shows. She has played principal horn for the Saito Kinen/Ozawa and Tokyo Opera Nomori music festivals, the Mito Chamber Orchestra in Japan, and has participated in the Santa Fe Chamber, Affinis (Japan), Sarasota, Festival Napa Valley, Classical Tahoe, Strings, Mainly Mozart, and La Jolla Music Society Summerfest music festivals. In 1994 she won the American Horn Competition. As an equally enthusiastic music educator, she has given masterclasses in schools and festivals across the country, including The Juilliard School, USC, Interlochen Arts Camp, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and is a founding member of the recently formed Coalition of Musicians for Ethical Change. Ms. Pilant received her Bachelor’s degree from Eastman School of Music (student of Verne Reynolds), and her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School (student of Julie Landsman).

Julie Pilant Links

Podcast Credits

  • “Haydn Symphony #31 “Horn Signal““, “Hornpipe” Water Music by Handel and “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Wagner’s Lohengrin
  • Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
  • Cover Art – Meg Ryia
  • Podcast Hosts – John Snell and Preston Shepard
In Horn Signal

Phil Yao Horn Interview – Horn Signal #10

Phil Yao Horn Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #10 of Horn Signal! This episode features an interview with hornist Phil Yao, LA studio musician.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

About Phil Yao

With over 1,500 credits in film, television and recording, USC graduate Phillip Yao has worked with many of the world’s top composers and musicians including John Williams, James Horner, Michael Giacchino and Jerry Goldsmith.

He can be heard on recordings showcasing a variety of artists from all genres; Hilary Hahn, Barbra Streisand, Aerosmith, Ray Charles, and Neil Diamond, to name a few.

In addition, he has years of orchestral, opera, ballet, and Broadway show experience having been a member of the Pasadena Symphony and playing with the Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera, Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon.   

He and his wife, harpist, Alison Bjorkedal, currently spend time gardening, golfing, and beekeeping.  They also enjoy spending time with Phil’s 3-year old grandson. Post-playing, Phil has joined the team at Juliani Music Preparation.

Phil Yao Links

Podcast Credits

  • “Haydn Symphony #31 “Horn Signal““, “Hornpipe” Water Music by Handel and “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Wagner’s Lohengrin
  • Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
  • Cover Art – Meg Ryia
  • Podcast Hosts – John Snell and Preston Shepard
In Horn Signal

Dave Everson Horn Interview – Horn Signal #9

Dave Everson Horn Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #9 of Horn Signal! This episode features an interview with hornist Dave Everson, LA studio musician and formerly of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

About Dave Everson

David Everson, retired Assistant Principal Horn of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, joined the DSO in 1999 after serving as Principal Horn of the Kansas City Symphony for 13 years. A Michigan native and student of Louis Stout at the University of Michigan, he has also performed as guest Principal with ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Everson is active as a studio musician in Los Angeles, where he has recorded more than 150 film scores, and he continues to perform with the Naples Philharmonic and freelance in LA.

Dave Everson Links

Podcast Credits

  • “Haydn Symphony #31 “Horn Signal““, “Hornpipe” Water Music by Handel and “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Wagner’s Lohengrin
  • Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
  • Cover Art – Meg Ryia
  • Podcast Hosts – John Snell and Preston Shepard
In Horn Signal

Gina Gillie Horn Interview – Horn Signal #8

Gina Gillie Horn Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #8 of Horn Signal! This episode features an interview with hornist and composer, Gina Gillie.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

About Gina Gillie

Dr. Gina Gillie is a sought-after composer, teacher, hornist, and traveler. She formerly held the position of Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University (2008-2024) where she taught horn, composition, ear training, chamber music, music history, music theory, and music appreciation. While all of Gillie’s degrees and training are in Horn Performance, she has been an active composer since 2009, and she is frequently commissioned to write music for chamber ensembles that include brass instruments. In 2022, she was the winner of the IWBC Composition Competition with her trombone octet, Mountain Ascent, and in 2025, she was commissioned to write a brass quintet for the IWBC annual conference. In addition to these honors, Gillie’s award-winning body of work was recognized in 2023 with Pacific Lutheran University’s K.T. Tang Faculty Excellence Award in Research, and her music is performed internationally in countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, and the U.S. Her compositional style incorporates singing melodies, accessible harmonies, and frequent use of counterpoint. Many of her scores are published by Wavefront Music while others are self-published and available in digital format.

Gina Gillie Links

Podcast Credits

  • “Haydn Symphony #31 “Horn Signal““, “Hornpipe” Water Music by Handel and “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Wagner’s Lohengrin
  • Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
  • Cover Art – Meg Ryia
  • Podcast Hosts – John Snell and Preston Shepard
In Horn Signal

Julie Landsman Horn Interview – Horn Signal #7

Julie Landsman Horn Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #7 of Horn Signal! This episode features an interview with hornist Julie Landsman, formerly of the Metropolitan Opera.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

About Julie Landsman

Principal horn with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for 25 years, Julie Landsman is a distinguished performing artist and educator. She received a bachelor of music degree from The Juilliard School in 1975 under the tutelage of James Chambers and Ranier De Intinis, and has served as a member of the Juilliard faculty since 1989.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Landsman achieved her dream of becoming principal of the MET in 1985 and held that position until 2010. She has also shared her talent to many other ensembles within the city as a current member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and having performed and recorded with the New York Philharmonic. Additionally, she has performed with numerous groups outside the city, including her co-principal position with the Houston Symphony, substitute principal position with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and recent performances with The Philadelphia Orchestra as Associate principal horn, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, principal horn.

She has recorded for RCA, Deutsche Gramophone, CRI, Nonesuch and Vanguard labels, and is most famous for her performance of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle as solo horn with the MET Opera under the direction of James Levine. Landsman has performed as chamber musician at many festivals and concert series, including the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Sarasota Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center,  Orcas Island Chamber Music  Festival,  and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she appeared as a guest artist with the Guarneri Quartet. In the summers she performs and teaches at the Music Academy of the West , the Sarasota Music  Festival, and the Aspen Music Festival.

World renowned as a master teacher, Julie Landsman holds faculty positions at The Juilliard School and Bard College Conservatory, and teaches frequently as a guest at the Curtis Institute. She has presented master classes at such distinguished institutions as The Colburn School, Curtis Institute, Eastman School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, USC Thornton School of Music, Cal State Long Beach, Rowan University, University of Oklahoma, and University of Southern Mississippi, to name a few. She is also a visiting master teacher at the New World Symphony in Miami. Her international presence includes master classes in Norway, Sweden, and Israel.  In 2016 Landsman was an honored jury member at the ARD horn competition in Munich, Germany.

Her students hold positions in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Opera and Ballet Orchestras, Washington National Opera Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Colorado Symphony, and the American Brass Quintet. She recently received the “Pioneer Award” from the International Women’s Brass Conference and was a featured artist at the International Horn Society Conference in 2012 and 2015.

Her recent series of Carmine Caruso lessons on YouTube have led to further fame and renown among today’s generation of horn players. Landsman currently resides in Santa Barbara, California.

Julie Landsman Links

Podcast Credits

  • “Haydn Symphony #31 “Horn Signal““, “Hornpipe” Water Music by Handel and “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Wagner’s Lohengrin
  • Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
  • Cover Art – Meg Ryia
  • Podcast Hosts – John Snell and Preston Shepard
In Trombone Corner

Ingemar Roos Trombone Interview – Trombone Corner #37

Ingemar Roos Interview

Welcome to the show notes for Episode #37 of the Trombone Corner podcast. This episode features trombonist Ingemar Roos.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Episode Sponsor

This episode is brought to you by the Colburn School’s Brass Institute Program. Intermediate and advanced Brass students aged 13 to 22 are invited to join the Colburn School’s 2-week Brass Institute this summer, for an immersive experience of the best the brass world has to offer! Led by some of today’s most active and respected brass artists, the program features large brass ensemble, chamber music, rhythm workshops, and master classes. Taking place from July 8th to 19th in Downtown LA. Visit www.colburnschool.edu/summer to apply.

Continue Reading