Sounds

As a classically trained horn player, I'm equally at home in both classical and contemporary performance traditions. This is reflected in the locales in which I have been featured: from concert halls, churches, and cathedrals, to art galleries, museums, and an underground tunnel system (2x). At 15, I was the recipient of the International Horn Society's Paul Mansur Scholarship, granting me a lesson with Jennifer Montone at the 40th International Horn Symposium; at 19 I gave my international and orchestral solo debut, performing James Balentine’s Espirales Infinitas (international premier) while on tour throughout Italy. I also gave the world premier of Jason Holt Mitchell's Thermal Bloom for solo horn and fixed stereo (2015) which was written specifically for my recital and dedicated to the memory of my late grandfather, the artist and self-proclaimed “cultural adjuster” Mel Casas (1929-2014). During my undergraduate days, I helped found SPEctrum, a San Antonio new music collective, and have since been an avid practitioner of free improvisation, conceptualizing it as the ultimate manifestation of musical play. My primary instructors were Lisa Bergman and Peter Rubins (both horn), and the trombonist, curator, and multidisciplinary sound artist, Steve Parker (new music). I have also participated in masterclasses with David Wakefield and Abbie Conant. I specialize primarily in free improvisation and works for unaccompanied horn / horn + electronics.