French Horn
Principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since February 1966, Dale Clevenger is a versatile musician in many areas in addition to the CSO, including chamber music, jazz, commercial recordings, and solos. His mentors are Arnold Jacobs and Adolph Herseth.
Before joining the CSO, Dale was a member of Leopold Stokowski's American Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of the Air directed by Alfred Wallenstein, and was principal horn of the Kansas City Philharmonic. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras worldwide, including the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim conducting. He has taken part in many music festivals including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival; the Florida Music Festival in Sarasota; the Affinis Music Festival in Japan and the FAME Festival. Dale has worked with the European Community Youth Orchestra under Claudio Abbado, conducting and teaching, and has participated in several International Horn Society Workshops, both in the U.S. and abroad. He has given recitals and master classes throughout the world. In July of 1998, he was a featured artist in the Finnish Horn Society Workshop. Recently he gave a master class in Saarbruken, Germany.
In 1985, he received an honorary doctor of music degree from Elmhurst College and currently teaches at Roosevelt University, where he is a professor of horn.
Also a conductor, Dale served for fourteen years as music director of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. His conducting career has included guest appearances with the New Japan Philharmonic (Tokyo), the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Florida Symphony (Tampa), The Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Roosevelt University Symphony Orchestra, the Carnegie Mellon University Symphony Orchestra (Pittsburgh), the Toronto Conservatory Orchestra, the Northwestern University Summer Symphony, the Santa Cruz Symphony, the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra (Perth), the Aguascaliente Symphony Orchestra (Mexico), and the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. He also has conducted the Florence Festival Orchestra in Italy. During 1999, he conducted the I Solisti Fiorentini, and this past September he assisted Maestro Zubin Mehta conducting the Israel Philharmonic.
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Heidi Kepper began her studies on the horn at eight years of age. At thirteen she attended the Interlochen Arts Academy, and also began studying with Dale Clevenger that same year. Following three years at the Academy she attended Northwestern University at sixteen years of age, to continue her studies with Mr. Clevenger. She also studied with Norman Schweikert, Richard Oldberg, Joseph Singer, Vincent DeRosa, and Arnold Jacobs during her years at University. Heidi was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and an active freelancer which included playing extra with the Chicago Symphony. She then played two years as Second Horn win the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and four years as Principal Horn of the Omaha Symphony. Heidi then went to Australia for 10 years, where she was Principal Horn, and taught at the University of Western Australia.
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