Northwest Horn Symposium
Featured Artists
Jeff Nelsen
Steven Schaughency
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Katy Webb
Jessie Thoman
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Chris Castellanos
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FEATURED ARTIST BIOS
JEFF NELSEN
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Jeff Nelsen is professor of horn at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and founder of Fearless Performance LLC, a company that focuses on training musicians and others to consistently perform their best. One of the many Canadian pig-farm-raised magician horn players in the world, he has thrilled audiences and mentored students for over 20 years.
Probably best known for the eight years he spent touring and recording with Canadian Brass, Nelsen has also performed concerti and chamber music on six continents, and in the horn sections of dozens of orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, and the Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Montreal, and St. Louis symphonies. Since giving his celebrated 2011 TEDx Talk about Fearless Performance, he has been training fellow TED Talk presenters, teachers, athletes, and business people in giving their own Fearless Performances. A huge Broadway musical fan, Nelsen played the premiere run of two Broadway shows that were nominated for Tony awards: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Sherman Brothers) and The Pirate Queen (Boublil and Schönberg). He has toured with popular entertainers including Barry Manilow and Michael Bolton, recorded with Michael Buble and the pop band Barenaked Ladies, and performed on dozens of movie and video game soundtracks. He most enjoys performing with his wife, mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen, on recital and orchestral pops series. Nelsen gives back to the music community through his roles as president of the International Horn Society and as a member of the board of advisors for the International Horn Competition of America. Aside from creating musical magic, he is an enthusiastic magician and often adds touches of illusionary arts to performances. He recently reached a childhood dream of becoming a magician member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the world famous Magic Castle. |
KATY WEBB
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From recording studios to live television, concert hall stages to a canopy of trees overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Dr. Katy Webb has enjoyed performing professionally for audiences across the United States. Katy is Creative and Managing Director of Fearless Performance, coaching performers of all specialties to share the best versions of themselves in performance and to make their best better. A cognitive science researcher, Katy has done work on the psychological, developmental, and neurolinguistic underpinnings of music performance. Her cutting-edge, research-grounded methods in practice, preparation, and execution were awarded by the Presser Foundation in 2020.
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STEVEN SCHAUGHENCY
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Born in Endicott, New York, Dr. Steven Schaughency played horn in one of the strongest high school jazz programs in the north eastern United States, solidifying an early foundation in jazz and popular music styles. At the Ithaca College, he was the only horn player to pursue a jazz oriented course of study, which continued though graduate schools, culminating with an earned Doctorate in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado. His teachers have included Louis Stout, Jack Covert, Jack Herrick and Jerry Peel.
Dr. Steven Schaughency has performed with internationally recognized jazz artists such as Quincy Jones, Chuck Mangione, Diane Reeves, J. J. Johnson, Clark Terry, Paul Winter, Dave Brubeck, and Rob McConnell. In the 1990s, he was lead horn and soloist with the Joel Kaye Neophonic Orchestra, performing weekly big band concerts in Colorado. For 20 years, Steve was a member of the United States Air Force Band, performing various styles of music for audiences on four continents. Steve has also held positions in various symphony orchestras in the United States and Europe. Dr. Schaughency has been on the faculty at the University of Northern Colorado, teaching Jazz History. Additionally, Steve has been a Yamaha sponsored adjudicator at Jazz Festivals and a jazz concert promoter working with Arturo Sandoval, the New York Voices, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Mike Stern. Recently, Steve has been working as a clinician at horn workshops and universities in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States, teaching Jazz styles to classically trained musicians. |
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Dr. Jessie Thoman, Professor of Horn and Music History, earned her degrees at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam (BM), The Ohio State University (MM, MA) and Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music (DM). Dr. Thoman is also the co-founder of the Mirari Brass Quintet (www.miraribrass.com) which maintains a busy performing and touring schedule presenting masterclasses and recitals in public schools, colleges, universities, and performance halls both nationally and internationally.
Her teaching career includes private teaching, coaching individuals and chamber groups, public school and university teaching, and sharing Jeff Nelsen's Fearless concepts in lectures and masterclasses with others at schools, colleges, and universities all over the United States. Every summer she assists Jeff at his Fearless Performance for Musicians Seminar, empowering performers of all ages and disciplines to replace fear with trust and the belief that their best is possible at every opportunity. Known for her unabashed laugh and high energy, Jessie Thoman connects with audiences and students of all ages encouraging growth, improvement, and selflove that allows them to reach and fulfill their own dreams. |
JESSIE THOMAN
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CHRIS CASTELLANOS
A native of Las Vegas, NV, Chris Castellanos has enjoyed a prosperous and eclectic musical career. Upon joining the Las Vegas Philharmonic at the age of 18, Chris quickly established himself as a top call freelancer on the Las Vegas Strip, playing more than 1700 shows over a six-year run of Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular. He also played many additional shows for Spamalot and The Lion King and backed countless headliners on the Las Vegas Strip, including Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra Jr., Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Peter Cetera, Robert Goulet, Olivia Newton-John, Michel Legrand, Kenny G, Yes, Josh Groban, Michael Bublé, Ricky Martin and David Foster (Hit Man live album and DVD). In addition, he toured with Andrea Bocelli.
In late 2003, Chris found his passion as a chamber musician after joining the Dallas Brass for a six-year tenure touring the United States and abroad. In 2009, he joined the prestigious Boston Brass as Hornist, Arranger and Co-Owner of the group, with whom he tours worldwide. In addition to his duties with the Boston Brass, Chris is a very active soloist and clinician, serves as Principal Horn of the Sinfonia Salt Lake and frequently performs with orchestras across the United States.
As an educator, Chris has taught in every state in the United States as well as in over 30 countries. He has presented clinics and master classes at The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Sibelius Academy (Finland), Bruckner Academy of Music (Austria), Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Singapore), Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (UK) and many more.
In late 2003, Chris found his passion as a chamber musician after joining the Dallas Brass for a six-year tenure touring the United States and abroad. In 2009, he joined the prestigious Boston Brass as Hornist, Arranger and Co-Owner of the group, with whom he tours worldwide. In addition to his duties with the Boston Brass, Chris is a very active soloist and clinician, serves as Principal Horn of the Sinfonia Salt Lake and frequently performs with orchestras across the United States.
As an educator, Chris has taught in every state in the United States as well as in over 30 countries. He has presented clinics and master classes at The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Sibelius Academy (Finland), Bruckner Academy of Music (Austria), Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Singapore), Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Guildhall School of Music and Drama (UK) and many more.