From the August 2018 Desktop News | Joshua Williams, first-place winner of last year’s professional division of the International Horn Competition of America, was a featured artist at the 50th International Horn Society Summer Symposium in Muncie, Indiana, earlier this summer.

Williams, a 26-year-old Tuscaloosa native who’s entering the last year of his doctorate of musical arts program at The University of Alabama, was one of 10 headline artists featured in the symposium. Charles “Skip” Snead, director and professor in the UA School of Music and Williams’ music mentor since high school, said that’s an honor reserved for only the “very finest and most notable horn” players.

“It is an absolute who’s who of people in the industry,” Snead said. “The equivalent of a professional sports all-star event.

“It is an incredible honor that Joshua was one of the featured artists to be invited to this symposium. This was because of his major win in the International Horn Competition last year, which has catapulted him onto the international scene.”

Each summer, the International Horn Society hosts the symposium for leading horn performers, students, teachers and any horn enthusiast regardless of age or ability level. The symposium is held at a different location each year. This year it was held at Ball State University. About 600 to 800 people attended.

Williams performed several times at the symposium, including performing a solo recital, an ensemble recital and as a featured soloist in a world premiere of a piece by the U.S. Army Field Band.

He also gave lectures and participated in discussions.

Williams performed in a recital in the Southeast Horn Workshop in February and as a soloist in the Detroit Symphony in March. In addition, he’s been contracted as a solo artist for an upcoming German brand of horn, “Schmiedhauser Orchestral Horns.”

He said he’s finally gotten used to all of the attention.