Randy Gardner

[Randy Gardner seated atop one of UC's McMicken Lions.]

[Randy C. Gardner] was appointed to CCM's horn professorship in 1996, following more than twenty years as Second Hornist of the Philadelphia Orchestra under the batons of music directors Eugene Ormandy, Riccardo Muti, and Wolfgang Sawallisch. Before beginning his performance career in the Miami (FL) Philharmonic, Randy Gardner earned the Bachelor of Music Degree with Distinction from Indiana University, where he was a student of Philip Farkas. While beginning graduate work in musicology, he was also Distinguished Professor Farkas' teaching assistant. Additional horn teachers included Christopher Leuba, Ethel Merker, and William Adam.

Professor Gardner has previously been a faculty member of the Indiana University School of Music, Temple University's Esther Boyer College of Music, New York State Summer School of the Arts, Philadelphia College of Bible, Trenton State College, New School of Music, and Luzerne (NY) Music Center. Randy Gardner has made numerous masterclass appearances throughout the US, in Hong Kong, and in South Korea. Former students have gone on to performance and teaching careers in the US, Europe, Asia, South America, and elsewhere.

Randy Gardner has been a performer and lecturer at numerous international and regional workshops of the International Horn Society, including being a featured Artist at the Bejing and Lahti Symposia. He served on the IHS Advisory Council from 1998 to 2004. Professor Gardner's recital at the Bejing 2000 Symposium included the premiere of his unaccompanied horn solo, Why?!. Master class presentations have covered Mastering the Low Register, Achieving Peak Performance, Powerful Practice Techniques, Audition Preparation, and other topics. His InternationalOpus method book, Mastering the Horn's Low Register, is written for all hornists who wish to enjoy the many benefits that come with low register proficiency. Its pages comprehensively and systematically examine production and technique, then offer detailed preparation of thirty commonly required low and high horn excerpts that demand excellence in the low register.

Randy Gardner was a performer and co-producer for the Summit Records CD: Shared Reflections, The Legacy of Philip Farkas, and has written for The Horn Call. He has an extensive background as a chamber musician and soloist. Mr.Gardner is an active recitalist and chamber musician on and off campus; a member of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra; and an occasional orchestral hornist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and other orchestras.

Outside of music, Randy enjoys spending time with his wife, Barbara, and their three sons. His interests include fishing and camping, sports, reading, church/community activism, and short wave radio listening. An eternal optimist, he is a life-long Chicago Cubs fan.