Meet the Orchestra Header 2022

BFO Principal Brass

STRINGS  |  WINDS  |  BRASS  |  PERCUSSION/KEYBOARD/HARP

Jeff Garza, Principal Horn

Jeff Garza, Principal HornJeff Garza is principal horn of the Oregon Symphony and the Britt Festival Orchestra. He has previously held principal positions with the San Antonio Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Utah Festival Opera and Festival Mozaic Orchestra. Jeff has served as guest principal horn in dozens of orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Utah Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic and Melbourne Symphony. He has performed, toured and recorded extensively with the San Francisco Symphony and was an acting member of the orchestra during the 2016-17 season.

Jeff has been invited to perform at festivals and chamber music series throughout the United States including Chamber Music Northwest, Menlo School Summer Brass Institute, Chamber Music International, Concordia Chamber Players, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Cactus Pear Music Festival, 45th Parallel, Chatter ABQ and the Texas Music Festival. Jeff was formerly the Artistic Director of Olmos Ensemble, a chamber music group based in San Antonio, Texas. He has been a featured performer at national and regional horn workshops throughout the United States and has performed concertos by Mozart, Strauss, Schumann, Telemann and Forster with the San Antonio Symphony, the Britt Festival Orchestra, and the Festival Mozaic Orchestra. Jeff’s recording of Mark Abel's The Long March for Delos Records was released in October 2022 to critical acclaim.

Jeff earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and is an alumnus of the Interlochen Center for the Arts where he was awarded an Emerson Scholarship and the Young Artist Certificate, Interlochen Arts Academy’s highest artistic honor. He has held fellowship positions with the New World Symphony, Tanglewood Music Center, National Repertory Orchestra, and the Jerusalem International Symphony Orchestra.

Jeff is Instructor of Horn at Oregon State University and the University of Portland. He has previously held faculty positions at Brevard Music Center, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio College and Trinity University. Jeff has conducted masterclasses and clinics at music schools across the United States including University of Oregon, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, University of California-Berkeley, San Jose State University, University of Houston and Texas State University.

James T. Decker, Principal Trombone

James T. Decker, Principal TromboneHOMETOWN: Lubbock, TX
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: I have performed in a variety of professional ensembles, ranging from orchestras in Honolulu, New Mexico and New York to fine brass quintets, trombone quartets and various commercial groups. It's this variety that I draw upon to give me the energy and inspiration for each performance.
BACKGROUND/EDUCATION: I hold undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Julliard School as well as a Masters Degree in Music Education from
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Seth Horner, Principal Tuba

Seth Horner, Principal Tuba

A native of Eugene, Oregon, Seth Horner is the Principal Tuba of the North Carolina Symphony in Raleigh, NC. In the summers he serves as the Principal Tuba of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR. Horner was the Acting-Principal Tuba of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) for three seasons beginning in 2014 and has held positions as instrumental faculty teaching tuba and euphonium at Towson University and the University of North Carolina School for the Arts (UNCSA). At the age of 19, Seth held a one-year position as Principal Tuba of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop, and has held positions as the Principal Tuba of the West Virginia Symphony and the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra. Seth studied primarily with David Fedderly, Paul Krzywicki, Warren Deck, and Michael Grose. Horner earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where he was the valedictorian of his class. Seth completed his Master's Degree at the University of Oregon, and holds a Graduate Performer's Diploma from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.

Horner has performed and recorded extensively as a symphony, chamber, and solo musician. He was a frequent substitute with the Baltimore Symphony prior to assuming the acting-principal tuba position in 2014. He performed performed during the BSO’s west coast tour and its 2010, 2014, and 2016 Carnegie Hall appearances with Marin Alsop. Horner has recorded orchestral albums with several American orchestras can be heard on three of the Baltimore Symphony’s recent albums (Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein's Symphonies No. 1, 2, and 3) conducted by Marin Alsop, as well as the Colorado Symphony's album Roy Harris: Symphonies 3 and 4with Marin Alsop. Seth's most recent symphonic work can be heard on the North Carolina Symphony's recent album Strauss's 'Don Quixote', and the Walton Cello Concerto with Zuill Bailey, Roberto Diaz, and Grant Llewellyn. During his time as a faculty member at UNCSA Seth recorded with the Watson Brass on a forthcoming album featuring Reena Esmail's Khirkiyaan.

Seth has performed with several notable American orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony, Kennedy Center Opera, St. Louis Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, San Diego Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and New World Symphony. As a chamber musician Horner has performed with the Washington Symphonic Brass, the Clipper City Brass, and the Watson Brass and worked on a freelance basis for 8 years in the Baltimore/DC area. As a soloist Seth performed the Broughton Tuba Concerto with the Capital Wind Symphony in Vienna, VA in 2012 and most recently was a featured soloist with the North Carolina Symphony in November of 2022 performing Jennifer Higdon's Concerto for Low Brass.

Seth has served as an audition panel member and coach for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) as well as Carnegie’s NYO2 since their inception. In the summer, in addition to his work with the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR he has performed with the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra. Seth teaches tuba and euphonium privately and has given masterclasses and recitals at festivals and universities nationwide including the Tidewater Brass Institute, Eastern Music Festival, the Peabody Institute at John’s Hopkins, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Eastern Carolina University, Ithaca University, the University of Washington and Towson University. Seth resides in Durham, NC.

BFO Brass

HORN
Jeff Garza, Principal*
John Degnan, Horn II*
Colin Bianchi, Horn III/Assistant Principal
TBD, IV
Michelle Hembree, Utility*

TRUMPET
TBD, Principal
Kevin McKee
Joan Paddock+

TROMBONE
Jim Decker, Principal+
John Bartlett+
Mike Becker+

BASS TROMBONE
Mike Becker+

TUBA
Seth Horner, Principal*


+ Orchestra Member for 20 or more years

*On Leave of Absence in 2024