A native of Eugene, Oregon, Seth Horner is the Principal Tuba of the North Carolina Symphony in Raleigh, NC. In the summers he serves as the Principal Tuba of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR and this year will teach at the Eastern Music Festival (EMF) and EMF's Euphonium Tuba Institute. Horner was the Acting-Principal Tuba of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) for three seasons beginning in 2014 and has held positions as instrumental faculty teaching tuba and euphonium at Towson University and the University of North Carolina School for the Arts (UNCSA). At the age of 19, Seth held a one-year position as Principal Tuba of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop, and has held positions as the Principal Tuba of the West Virginia Symphony and the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra. Seth studied primarily with David Fedderly, Paul Krzywicki, Warren Deck, and Michael Grose. Horner earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where he was the valedictorian of his class. Seth completed his Master's Degree at the University of Oregon, and holds a Graduate Performer's Diploma from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. 

 

Horner has performed and recorded extensively as a symphony, chamber, and solo musician. He was a frequent substitute with the Baltimore Symphony prior to assuming the acting-principal tuba position in 2014. He performed performed during the BSO’s west coast tour and its 2010, 2014, and 2016 Carnegie Hall appearances with Marin Alsop. Horner has recorded orchestral albums with several American orchestras can be heard on three of the Baltimore Symphony’s recent albums (Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein's Symphonies No. 1, 2, and 3) conducted by Marin Alsop, as well as the Colorado Symphony's album Roy Harris: Symphonies 3 and 4 with Marin Alsop. Seth's most recent symphonic work can be heard on the North Carolina Symphony's recent album Strauss's 'Don Quixote', and the Walton Cello Concerto with Zuill Bailey, Roberto Diaz, and Grant Llewellyn. During his time as a faculty member at UNCSA Seth recorded with the Watson Brass on UNCSA's album Windows featuring Reena Esmail's Khirkiyaan.

 

Seth has performed with several notable American orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony, Kennedy Center Opera, St. Louis Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony, San Diego Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and New World Symphony. As a chamber musician Horner has performed with the Washington Symphonic Brass, the Clipper City Brass, and the Watson Brass and worked on a freelance basis for 8 years in the Baltimore/DC area. As a soloist Seth performed the Broughton Tuba Concerto with the Capital Wind Symphony in Vienna, VA in 2012 and most recently was a featured soloist with the North Carolina Symphony in November of 2022 performing Jennifer Higdon's Concerto for Low Brass.

 

Seth has served as an audition panel member and coach for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) as well as Carnegie’s NYO2 since their inception. In the summer, in addition to his work with the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR he has performed with the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra. Seth teaches tuba and euphonium privately and has given masterclasses and recitals at festivals and universities nationwide including the Tidewater Brass Institute, Eastern Music Festival, Washington State University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Eastern Carolina University, Ithaca University, the University of Washington and Towson University. He will be a in residence at the University of Oregon as a sabbatical subsititute in February of 2023. Seth resides in Durham, NC.