Brent Shires - Fall 1999

Stats: 5'6", blue eyes, mousy brown hair, 9 wide shoe.

Full Name: Brent Alan Shires

Age: 31

Schooling: Fairport High School, Fairport New York; B.M. Music Education/Performers Certificate/French Minor, State University of New York at Potsdam; M.M. Horn Performance and Pedagogy, Northern Illinois University; Working on D.M.A. Horn Performance and Literature/Music Ed minor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Horn Teachers: W. Peter Kurau, Roy Schaberg, Norman Schweikert, Pal Navarro, Timothy Jones (LSO), John Fairfield, Kazimierz Machala.

Type of Horn I Play: Conn 8D - 1965 H-series (just had to put a patch on it!)

Professional Orchestras Played In: WI: Green Bay Symphony, Madison Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony sub. list; IL: orchestra of Elgin, Rockford, Springflied, Decatur, Peoria, Champaign-Urbana, Sinfonia da Camera, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra; IN: Evansville Philharmonic.

Gutsiest Move: I was a sub in an orchestra playing 5th horn on the "Rite of Spring," and I sort of played over other people because they couldn't keep the rhythm right. One regular section player thanked me for being their metronome!

When and where did you start the horn: Summer before the 5th grade in the Fairport schools.

What are you doing now and where are you headed: I am the first full-time horn instructor at UCA and will be playing principal horn with the Conway Symphony Orchestra and the Green Bay Orchestra in Wisconsin. Still working on the doctoral degree and hoping to do my research on solo horn works with band. I'm tired of moving, so maybe I'll stay in Arkansas forever!

Tell us something about yourself that people may be surprised to hear: I've got a couple: I used to be a music copyist for the Canadian Brass; for the past three years, I have been the "founding" music director at a church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin charting and directing a rhythm section band; I'm a Frank Lloyd Wright nut, and my wife and I were invited to perform for a private evening at Taliesin, the FLLW School of Architecture; and I've bicycled around Lake Ontario. I have also had photography exhibited at the NYS capitol gallery.

I have taken my position at UCA to serve the public; I will be happy to help anyone with ideas, assistance, and answers. I try to be a clearinghouse of information, so feel free to contact me anytime.

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