VANDERBILT HORN STUDIO

John Degnan (Class of 2022) performs Sigurd Berge’s Horn-Lokk

The Vanderbilt Horn studio is well-known for its artistry and excellence. The studio has been led by the legendary Leslie Norton since 1989, and has produced many successful performers, teachers, composers, and scholars over the years. Our students not only benefit from studying at one of the world’s great universities, but also from the wealth of experience and musical accomplishment that Prof. Norton brings to the table.

Learn more about our wonderful students on our Meet the Horn Studio page

About the Horn Studio

For the 2023-24 school year there are 10 horn majors from 8 different states, and they each have a one-hour weekly lesson with Prof. Leslie Norton and must also sign up for a weekly Horn Performance Class.

Our Blair horn students participate in the Vanderbilt Symphony Orchestra and the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony, as well as various small ensembles through Blair’s wonderful chamber music program. Prof. Norton also builds in some horn ensemble experiences each year.

Several of our students typically attend regional horn symposia, workshops, and festivals each year, enter national and international competitions, and attend some of the most prestigious Summer festivals.

In addition to the horn majors in our collegiate program, we also have several Vanderbilt students who take elective horn lessons as part of a music minor and/or secondary major. These students typically study with Anna Spina, Adjunct Artist Teacher of Horn, who is also our primary horn instructor in Blair’s fantastic precollege and adult program, Blair Academy at Vanderbilt.

All of these students contribute to a thriving and vibrant horn community on the VU campus!

Concerts & Events

Student Videos

Horn Faculty Spotlight

Leslie Norton

Associate Professor of Horn

Learn More

Leslie is our primary horn teacher, and all horn majors study weekly with her. She also leads Horn Performance Class, a weekly meeting of the entire horn studio, and often coaches chamber ensembles.

Hear Leslie perform the 3rd movement of Brad Warnaar’s Concerto for Horn with Maestro Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony

We are so fortunate to have Anna Spina on our adjunct faculty. She works with most Blair Academy horn students and teaches private lessons to collegiate students who take horn lessons as elective credit, or as music minors/secondary majors.

Anna, a native of Skokie, IL, has established herself as an active freelancer in the Nashville area, regularly playing in studio recording sessions. She is currently acting as the 4th horn player with the Nashville Symphony for the 2021-22 season. In addition to her work in Nashville, she travels extensively to perform and tour with orchestras throughout the country. She regularly performs and tours with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has had the privilege of playing with other orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, Detroit Symphony and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras. Before moving to Nashville, Anna held two one year positions - one with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as their 3rd horn, and the other with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as their 2nd Horn. She received her Bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, where she studied with Gail Williams, and did her post graduate work at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, where she studied with Andrew Bain and David Krehbiel.