Overview
Stay Tuned!
Salzburger Echo is proud to be hosting the 15th Annual North American Alphorn Retreat the second weekend in August 2022! We are currently finalizing our plans, and will post information about the exact dates, venue, and teaching staff as soon as we can!
Hosted by Salzburger Echo
Staff
Bill Hopson
Permanent Residence: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Citizenship: Canada
Education: Bachelor of Music, Oberlin College, 1976
Current Occupation: French Horn Player in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra since 1977
Combining his talents as a craftsman and a musician, he founded Rocky Mountain Alphorns to hand build a limited edition of superior instruments for professional Horn players and discriminating enthusiasts. His Alphorns feature beautifully carved and painted artwork and are often trimmed with the stunning hardwoods he gathers from every corner of the globe. William Hopson performs and records on a Rocky Mountain Alphorn made from Canadian Sitka Spruce with Australian Jarra Wood highlights.
He has recorded four compact discs of Alphorn music and published one volume of Alphorn music, all of which are sold worldwide.
William Hopson is widely regarded as one of the finest Alphorn soloist of his generation. In his travels he has introduced the music of the Alphorn to audiences in North America, Europe and Asia. As a champion of the music of Swiss composer Jean Daetwyler, he has performed "Concerto for Alphorn and Orchestra" with many orchestras, receiving in every case an enthusiastic ovation from the audience.
For more information about William Hopson, his Alphorns and his performing career, see his website at www.alphorn.ca
Brian Priebe
Permanent Residence: Washington, DC, USA
Citizenship: United States
Current Occupation: Professional Musician
Brian is a gifted music director, singer and world-class instrumentalist playing both Trombone and Swiss Alphorn. He is a former member of the Utah Chamber Orchestra performing with Ballet West. The sound of his horn can be heard on numerous movie and TV soundtracks and commercials.
Competing on the Swiss Alphorn in 2007, he took second place in the International Alphorn Festival in Nendaz, Switzerland. 120 competitors came from around the globe to the festival, but the biggest surprise was the American's 2nd place win. Never before has an American reached the finals of the competition which has been dominated by the Swiss since its inception.
A crowd of over 2,000 alphorn lovers basked in a lush mountain meadow as the sun glinted off a spectacular mountain lake setting the stage for the competition. A renowned panel of international alphorn stars judged the competitors on technique, musicality and "Authentic Swiss Style".
Tony Brazelton
Current Position:
Founder of the North American Alphorn Retreat, and Salzburger Echo
Citizenship: United States
Education: Bachelor of Music (teaching) University of Wyoming, Master of Music (performance) University of Nevada Reno
Tony Brazelton is a professional trumpet and alphorn player and instructor with more than 40 years of experience in musical performance. Tony's musical career has taken him all across the United States and Europe. In 1992 Tony founded the Salt Lake City, Utah based band Salzburger Echo. In 2008 he founded the North American Alphorn Retreat.
Salzburger Echo brings the music of the Alps to their audiences, playing Old World and Contemporary Folk music from the alpine regions of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The band regularly plays some of the largest Oktoberfests in the nation and has performed at hundreds of elementary schools across the nation to help teach children about the origin of the music and about the music itself.
Tony was the third place finisher at the 2008 international alphorn competition in Nendaz, Switzerland. In 2010 he and Brian Priebe placed second with their duet, and Tony also placed fifth in the solo competition in Nendaz, Switzerland.
Jim Hopson
Jim Hopson is an in-demand freelance low brass player, Alphorn player, composer, arranger, and educator based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Effortlessly versatile, his body of work as a performer crosses every genre and includes tours and appearances (live & recorded) all over the world. A dedicated educator, he has taught private lessons and clinics to hundreds of young musicians, and has conducted student ensembles of all ages and abilities. He is a first-call arranger for bands and orchestras throughout BC, and his arrangements have been featured on numerous albums, TV shows, and films.
He has recorded two studio albums as a leader: ’West Coast Nights’ and ‘Generations’, both available on iTunes, CDBaby, and Amazon.
Website: www.jimhopsonmusic.com
Monica Hambrick
Monica Hambrick has a Master's degree in horn performance from West Virginia University, and a Bachelor's degree in music education from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. Monica is the owner and director of New River Music Center, where she teaches the early childhood program Music Together. Monica has performed alphorn at the eighth annual North American Alphorn Retreat, and with the groups Salzburger Echo and Alphorn Gruezie. Most recently, Monica was one of the teacher/trainers at the first annual Northwest Alphorn Workshop in Leavenworth Washington. In her free time Monica enjoys rock climbing and playing her alphorn in the New River Gorge, the area where she lives in West Virginia.
Robert Brazelton
Residence: Austin, Texas, USA
Citizenship: United States
Occupation: Organizer of the North American Alphorn Retreat, freelance Alphorn Player, Composer, Vocalist, Yodeler, and Manager of Logistics and Communication for Salzburger Echo
Robert Brazelton has been performing alphorn since the summer of 2003. Robert was the first American to compete in the International Alphorn Festival (Nendaz, Switzerland), and has tallied two top-ten finishes. Having taken up the alphorn at a young age, Robert has been interviewed for, and featured in several television programs that ran across Europe and North America. Robert performed an alphorn solo for the Utah State High School Solo/Ensemble Festival in 2009 and received a superior rating. This is believed to be the first time that the alphorn was used in a State Solo Festival in the United States. Robert was also featured as one of 10 soloists during Skyline High Schools 2009 senior recital, where he performed a concerto arrangement of Hans-Jürg Sommer’s “Am Holzerwäg" on alphorn.
In recent years, Robert has taken over as one of the featured singers and yodelers of the Salzburger Echo Band, and has been touring the western U.S. and performing at some of the largest Oktoberfests and European Heritage Festivals in America. Outside of his role in Salzburger Echo, he is also a composer and freelance alphorn player.
Robert is the main organizer and manager of the North American Alphorn Retreat.
Schedule from the 14th Annual Retreat
Thursday August 5th,2021
11:00 Final Registration and light lunch (The Inn, Library Lobby)
12:30 - 16:30 Group lessons /rehearsal & breaks.
(Private or small ensemble lessons as arranged)
18:00 Dinner (The Inn, St. Bernard's)
Friday August 6th, 2021
8:00 - 10:00 Breakfast (St. Bernard's)
10:00 - 12:00 Group lessons/rehearsal & break.
(Private or small ensemble lessons as arranged)
14:00 - 16:00 Group lessons /rehearsal.
18:00 Dinner (The Inn, St. Bernard's)
Saturday August 7th, 2021
8:00 - 10:00 Breakfast (The Inn, St. Bernard's)
10:00 - 12:00 Group lessons/ rehearsal.
14:00 - 16:00 Group lessons/ rehearsal
18:00 Dinner (The Inn, St. Bernard's)
Sunday August 8th, 2021
8:00 - 10:00 Breakfast (The Inn, St. Bernard's)
10:00 - 11:30 Final Rehearsal
13:30 - 15:00 Final Concert (Solitude Amphitheater Lawn)
Register
Use this form to register for the Fifteenth Annual North American Alphorn Retreat. Answering these questions will help us design the course to be as effective as possible, and help us organize the participants into groups of similar ability.
The retreat is held using alphorns in the key of F. You may bring an alphorn in another key, but you will not be able to use that horn in the large group practices or the final performance. Alphorns in F will be available for rent if you do not own a horn in the key of F, or do not wish to travel with your alphorn. The rental fee will be announced once pricing is finalized for this year.
Payment for the retreat will be accepted in person during the retreat. you can pay with card, check, or cash. If you would like top pay in advance, please note that in your registration, and we will make further arrangements.