Denise Tryon
Denise Tryon is the Associate Professor of Horn at Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. Since 2019, Tryon has been the 4th horn of the famed American Horn Quartet. Previously, Tryon was fourth horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra as well as holding positions with the Detroit, Baltimore, Columbus, and New World Symphonies. She also served as the Professor of Horn at both the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music from 2018 – 2023 and the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore from 2007 – 2019.
“Denise Tryon’s command of the lower register provides the strongest foundation of sound for a horn section, and yet, her sound is supple and flexible.”
—Yannick Nezet-Sequin, music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera
In 1989 Tryon graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy and in 1993 received her Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in Boston. She received the Presidential Scholarship while in the Artist Diploma Program at NEC with the Taiyo Wind Quintet, which won the Coleman Chamber Competition and worked with great composers such as John Harbison, Luciano Berio, György Ligeti, and Elliott Carter.
An active and accomplished educator, Tryon is sought after for her masterclasses. She has taught extensively in the United States, Scandinavia, Europe, Asia and South America. Beth Graham of the Baltimore Symphony and founder of the Warsaw Horn Workshops says, “In just a few seconds of listening to a student she can diagnose deep-seated problems and give immediate fixes, often with a healthy dose of humor as well. The transformations she can accomplish in just a short time are truly remarkable.” Tryon has been a featured artist at many International Horn Society (IHS) Symposiums and Regional Workshops. She has been a Featured Artist at the Nordic Hornfest, BIBA (Blekinge International Brass Academy), Warsaw Horn Workshops, CORNO Brass Music Workshop, Orford Winds, and Domaine Forget. Since 2017, she’s been a faculty member at Rafael Mendez Brass Institute in Denver, CO. Frequently she is on faculty at Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra (NYO).
Tryon released her debut solo album, SO•LOW in 2015. As a part of this album, she commissioned 4 new pieces for low horn and piano. Said in a review by Gramophone Magazine “Tryon plays these works with sonorous fluidity and dexterity, ending with a bit of captivating acrobatics.” The American Prize awarded her with the Special Judges Citation for “Important Commitment to the Music of Our Time”.
A Pair of Aces, a duo horn album between Tryon and Karl Pituch, Principal Horn of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra was released in 2017. It won a Silver Medal in the Global Music Awards.
Hope Springs Eternal, Tryon’s second solo album, where she commissioned 6 new pieces for low horn, was released in 2020. The American Prize named Tryon and this album as the Winner for Instrumental Performance in 2022.
In 2009, Tryon founded Audition Mode, a yearly horn seminar, with Karl Pituch. The seminar focuses on the skills horn players need to be successful in orchestral auditions.