Horn student 1 of 5 finalists in international competition

KALAMAZOO—Western Michigan University horn performance major Paul Clifton has been selected as one of five students worldwide to participate in the 2013 International Horn Society Premier Soloist Competition.

Clifton was chosen by recorded audition to participate in the final round of the competition, which will take place Wednesday, July 31, at the University of Memphis in Tennessee at the society's upcoming conference. The other students selected to perform are from the University of Southern California and the Interlochen Arts Academy.

The recorded auditions were evaluated by an international panel of judges:

• Manolo Perez, Spanish Brass; 
• Bruno Schneider, international soloist based in Switzerland;
• Esa Tapani, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra;
• David Thompson, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra; and
• Gail Williams, Northwestern University, retired from Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

International Horn Society Premier Soloist Competition

The purpose of the Premier Soloist Competition, one of only two annual international competitions that exists for horn soloists, is to nurture and develop the great horn soloists of the future. The competition is open to hornists under age 25. The competition will take place at the 45th International Horn Symposium in Memphis, Tenn. The annual Symposium usually hosts around 1,000 participants.

The Western Horn Choir, an ensemble of WMU horn students directed by horn professor Dr. Lin Foulk, has also been selected to perform at the symposium.