Hodgson School hornist takes top prize in international competition

Jean Martin-Williams (L) with Lauren Hunt (R)

University of Georgia DMA student Lauren Hunt took first prize in the International Horn Competition of America’s university division on Sunday, September 1. Hunt, who began her studies this fall with Hugh Hodgson School of Music horn professor Jean Martin-Williams, competed against 53 other hornists for the title.

“Everyone hopes to win at competitions like this, but my main goal was to make it past the first round,” Hunt said. “Once I had accomplished that, I simply made it a point to have fun and enjoy playing my instrument. I think that’s a big reason why I performed as well as I did.”

The International Horn Competition of America was founded in 1975 to promote higher performance standards for domestic hornists. In time that mission expanded to include international artists, who compete every other year in the event’s professional and university divisions. This year’s competition, held on-campus at Kentucky’s University of Louisville, included performers from 21 states and 10 countries.

“The scope of this competition is huge,” said Martin-Williams, on the Hodgson School faculty since 1990. “In terms of size and prestige, it’s really the only event of its kind in the horn community.”

Martin-Williams, who instructs university horn students alongside Atlanta Symphony Orchestra hornist—and 1987 IHCA winner—Richard Deane, said that she is looking forward to working with Hunt in the coming years.

“All of us in the brass area are excited to have Lauren onboard,” Martin-Williams said. “In her audition, we heard not just great horn playing, but great musicianship. She began her undergraduate studies as a cellist—she actually plans on her doctoral minor being in cello—and I think she brings a lot of that to her playing, a real dedication to phrasing that string players possess.”

An alumna of the New England Conservatory and Yale, Hunt was awarded UGA’s highly competitive Presidential Graduate Fellowship, an honor reserved for outstandingly qualified doctoral students. She has performed in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, often working in conjunction with El Sistema, a Venezuela-based youth music advocacy network.

“I’m so thankful to be in an environment as supportive as the Hodgson School,” Hunt said. “It’s going to allow me to continue to develop as a musician, and to continue pursuing a lot of the competitions, auditions, and projects that I’m passionate about.”