Horn Studio

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Lamont offers an exceptional environment for horn students, combining individualized instruction with world-class resources and performance opportunities. Our studio is vibrant and collaborative, where horn players challenge and support one another in pursuit of artistic excellence. Guided by Prof. Carolyn Kunicki, students engage in intensive private lessons, chamber music, performance class, large ensembles, and masterclasses with renowned guest artists. In Lamont’s horn studio, students celebrate each other’s successes and push one another to reach new artistic heights.

Audition Requirements

Horn Auditions

Studying Horn at Lamont

At the Lamont School of Music, horn students build a strong foundation of fundamentals designed to make playing easier and more efficient, freeing them to focus on musical expression and artistic growth. Weekly private lessons with Prof. Carolyn Kunicki are customized to support each student’s individual goals and strengths, and the studio itself is a warm, welcoming atmosphere with a strong sense of community. Prof. Kunicki also provides her students with specialized training in performance psychology and mental strategies to manage performance anxiety and build confidence on stage.

Students participate in regular horn studio class, focusing on etudes, technique, repertoire, excerpts, and audition preparation. Weekly brass performance class provides horn students with regular opportunities to perform for their peers and develop an ability to give constructive feedback and receive insight on their playing from the full brass faculty. Every quarter, Horn students rehearse and perform in at least one large ensemble—either Orchestra or Wind Ensemble—and one chamber group, engaging with a wide range of repertoire and instrumentation. Frequent guest artists bring fresh perspectives through masterclasses, coachings, and lessons, enriching the educational experience and expanding professional networks.

Lamont’s horn students also benefit from unparalleled access to the Colorado Symphony through Prof. Kunicki, including the unique opportunity to sit just behind the horn section in the Parquet seating area (when open) and observe the players up close during live performances.

With a small, carefully structured studio that balances undergraduates and graduates, Lamont provides exceptional opportunities for performance and growth within a supportive, high-achieving environment. If you’re looking for a place to grow as a musician, artist, and individual, the Lamont horn studio offers a vibrant and supportive home.

8-10 horn students at Lamont

Over 6 ensembles to participate in each quarter

300+ performance opportunities per year

Faculty

Lamont horn students study with Prof. Carolyn Kunicki, section horn with the Colorado Symphony. Her celebrated career has led her to perform in concert halls around the nation, including the summer season at the Central City Opera where she plays principal.

Carolyn Kunicki

Adjunct Faculty, Horn

Learn More

Horn students perform at outreach concert

Degree Programs

Auditions

Applicants may choose to either audition in person in Denver OR submit a recorded video audition.

Applications received after January 15 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. You may indicate your preference for a live or virtual audition on the Lamont application.

Click here to view the current year’s audition dates and the full steps for how to apply.

In-Person Audition Requirements
All auditions are approximately 15 minutes in length.

Undergraduate (BM, BA and Minor)
- First movement of any Mozart concerto, or first movement of R. Strauss's Horn Concerto No. 1
- Two contrasting etudes
- Orchestral excerpts:
  - R. Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel - opening only
  - Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 - low horn tutti
  - Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 - mvmt. 2 solo
  - Wagner - Götterdämmerung - short call
- Major and minor scales
- Sight-reading
Graduate (MM and certificate in performance)
- Mozart Horn Concerto No. 4 (mvmt. 1 only, with cadenza)
- Modern solo, written after 1982
- Orchestral excerpts:
  - Beethoven, Symphony No. 7, mvmt. 1, mm. 84–102 & m. 421–end
  - Brahms, Symphony No. 1 (2nd and 4th mvmts.)
  - Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 (low tutti)
  - R. Strauss, Ein Heldenleben, opening
- Sight-reading
Review Requirements for Artist Diploma
Review Requirements for Certificate in Orchestral Studies
Video Audition Requirements
Applicants unable to travel to Denver for a live audition may submit a video audition via the Lamont application. Repertoire may be recorded separately in multiple takes; editing within each take is prohibited.

Undergraduate (BM, BA and Minor)
- First movement of any Mozart concerto, or first movement of R. Strauss's Horn Concerto No. 1
- Two contrasting etudes
- Orchestral excerpts:
  - R. Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel - opening only
  - Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 - low horn tutti
  - Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 5 - mvmt. 2 solo
  - Wagner - Götterdämmerung - short call
- Major and minor scales
- Sight-reading
Graduate (MM and certificate in performance)
- Mozart Horn Concerto No. 4 (mvmt. 1 only, with cadenza)
- Modern solo, written after 1982
- Orchestral excerpts:
  - Beethoven, Symphony No. 7, mvmt. 1, mm. 84–102 & m. 421–end
  - Brahms, Symphony No. 1 (2nd and 4th mvmts.)
  - Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5 (low tutti)
  - R. Strauss, Ein Heldenleben, opening
- Sight-reading
Review Requirements for Artist Diploma
Review Requirements for Certificate in Orchestral Studies

Life After Lamont

Notable Horn Alumni

Lamont students have worked with some of the most prestigious music organizations in the world. Alumni have performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolf Trap, Vancouver Symphony, Broadway, the West End, and San Francisco Opera. Lamont composers have premiered works at Carnegie Hall and the Monterey Jazz Festival, and conductors have led orchestras from Brazil to Hungary. Graduates of our Musicology and music theory programs hold posts at prestigious institutions nationwide. And our recording and production students have launched careers in Hollywood, editing soundtracks for films like Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.