Kelly Kaddatz

Horn

How many years have you played with EPO?

I joined during the recent conductor search season, 2017-18.

What is your experience as a musician?

My formal music education ended in high school, which had a great music program, though just band, no strings. I chose sciences rather than music to study post secondary. My Engineering career began in Deep River Ontario, which happened to have a community orchestra needing a horn player. Thus, my music education continued. I was with the DRSO for 3 years before moving to the GTA, where I eventually joined the Oakville Symphony Orchestra where I played for 23 years.

What do you do outside of the orchestra?

Canoeing and camping top the list in summer. And though it’s been a few years, I do enjoy playing in the snow, either on the slopes or on snowshoes.

Musically, I also play with the Oakville Chamber Orchestra and the York Chamber Ensemble as well as any musical theatre pit orchestra that’ll have me.

Why did you choose the horn?

I think the horn picked me, not unlike how the wand chooses the wizard. In Grade 7, I put the horn third on my list of three choices, following trumpet and sax. Since only one other student also included horn on their list, the 2 of us were the horn section. I also took up the sax and tuba in high school, mainly to play in the ensembles that didn’t include the horn. But the horn stuck. It’s been a life long journey trying to tame the beast.

How do you feel the horn is best used in the orchestra?

Everywhere! The horn is a such a versatile instrument sounding heroic with the rest of the brass or blending smoothly with the winds or filling out a luscious string line.

What is your favourite symphony that features horn or piece of music that inspires?

Strauss’ Alpine Symphony shows off the horn quite well, though I don’t expect I’ll ever have the opportunity to play it.

For pieces that have inspired, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the TV show Dallas theme song – very inspiring to an emerging horn player, and John Williams’ Star Wars soundtrack, especially Princess Leia’s theme, featuring a beautiful horn solo.

Finally, a piece I‘m looking forward to play, that uses the horn quite well, is Brahms Piano Concerto No 2.