Ms. LaBonte will be once again joining the faculty of the Eastman Summer Horn Institute in 2026.

From the Institute Website: “Hone your audition chops with a deep dive into horn orchestral excerpts, supplemented, informed, and liberated by the assimilation and incorporation of FUNdamental playing principles. The Institute will include preparation of standard orchestral, military band, and collegiate audition repertoire (both solo and sectional repertoire) from selected passages from Horn 1, 2, 3, 4, and assistant parts, and will address score study, sonic modeling, practice strategies, and performance psychology. Each participant will receive 4 private lessons with the faculty, daily group master classes and mock auditions, guided warm-ups, and 3 sessions addressing fundamental, transferrable “nuts-and-bolts” playing principles. The Institute will include a solo performance in Kilbourn Hall and will culminate with a “final round mock audition” of a solo (with piano accompaniment) and a rendition of selected excerpts of the participant’s choice in Howard Hansen Hall. The Sibley Music Library will serve as an iconic resource to access contemporary and historical recordings of the works studied, as well as a vast repository of scores and complete parts.”