LEGACY

ANDREW PELLETIER, FRENCH HORN SOLOIST

Internationally active horn soloist, Grammy Award winning chamber musician, and masterclass clinician, Andrew Pelletier enjoys an extremely busy life of solo playing, orchestral performance, and mentoring developing musicians. On his solo performing, John Henken of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “gleaming, handsome playing. Pelletier is a soloist who seems capable of anything on his instrument.” Fanfare Magazine called him “Phenomenal…undeniably in tune with what he plays” and the American Record Guide has praised his “full sound and playing with authority and imagination.” The First Prize winner of the 1997 and 2001 American Horn Competition (America’s only internationally recognized competition for the horn), he has appeared as a Featured Artist at the International Horn Society Annual Symposia of 2009 and 2014.

Since 2004, Pelletier has served as Professor of Horn of the College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University, in Bowling Green, Ohio, where he also serves as the Coordinator of the Brass Area. He was named a Professor of Creative Arts Excellence at BGSU in 2020. He has previously taught at the Portland (Maine) Conservatory of Music, Moorpark College, Ventura Community College, and the University of Southern California.

BOBBY COLLINS, CONDUCTOR

Bobby Collins has conducted a variety of ensembles including symphony, chamber, and pit orchestras, as well as contemporary music ensembles ranging from beginning to professional. He currently serves as Music Director for both Seattle Festival Orchestra and The Sound Ensemble, and has conducted, in performance, groups such as KammarensembleN (Stockholm), Skagit Symphony, Saratoga Orchestra, and Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra.

As Co-Founder and Music Director, Bobby has contributed heavily to the growth and development of The Sound Ensemble. His work has helped establish TSE as one of the leading new music ensembles in the region, as they promote equity and make modern classical music accessible and engaging for all. Bobby is uniquely gifted at crafting engrossing programs to enrich and entertain diverse audiences. With both Seattle Festival Orchestra and The Sound Ensemble, he has been instrumental in developing educational programs that engage kids of all ages in classical music.

Bobby has also appeared in concert with orchestras such as St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, Yakima Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, Rainier Symphony, Cascade Symphony, Thalia Symphony, and Inverted Space Ensemble, as well as the Ludus and Leavenworth Summer Theater’s pit orchestras.

Philharmonia Northwest’s 2023-24 Season is made possible in part by generous grants from these Season Sponsors: