Artist in Residence and Associate Teaching Professor of Horn

Martin Hackleman joined the faculty of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance as artist in residence and associate teaching professor of horn in fall 2012.

Hackleman began playing the horn at age 16, studying with Caesar LaMonaca in Houston. Other teachers have included Barry Tuckwell and Roland Berger (Vienna Philharmonic). He studied at the University of Houston and at age 19 he won the principal horn chair in the Calgary Philharmonic, where he played for two seasons. He then joined the Vancouver Symphony as solo horn under Maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama in 1974, where he played for the next nine years.

In 1983, Hackleman left Vancouver to join the world-renowned Canadian Brass. His three years with the group saw many outstanding achievements, among them: seven recordings for CBS Masterworks, including Brass in Berlin (with the brass section of the Berlin Philharmonic); extensive tours of the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Far East; a Canadian JUNO award for Best Classical Record; the group’s Hollywood Bowl premiere; and the release of its first video.

Hackleman then accepted an invitation to join the Empire Brass Quintet, whose moderate concert schedule allowed him time to pursue a solo career as well as specialty interests such as the Vienna and natural horns. He was a member of the EBQ for four years, with which he recorded five CDs.

No stranger to the field of music education, Hackleman has published étude books (now in their third printing) for the horn that are required repertoire at such institutions as the Royal Conservatory in London, England and the University of Michigan. He is a frequent juror for the Canada Council. He has been on the faculty at the University of Maryland, Boston University, and the University of British Columbia. For four years, he coached the Asian Youth Orchestra and participated in its annual world tours. Hackleman is a member of Summit Brass, where he plays, records, and teaches every summer. Over the years, he has been invited to give master classes at Juilliard, the Manhattan School, Curtis Institute, and UCLA, among others. For many years he was a French horn design consultant with Yamaha.

Hackleman returned to Vancouver in November 1989, where he was principal horn in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra once again and served as adjunct professor of horn at the University of British Columbia. In 1990, he helped launch a nationally broadcast chamber music series on CBC Radio called CURIO, featuring chamber music of rare combinations and forgotten composers.

For the 1999–2000 season, Hackleman was invited to play principal horn in the Montréal Symphony under Charles Dutoit. In 2000, he was appointed principal horn of the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he remained until his move to Kansas City. He was asked to perform as a guest principal horn with the Philadelphia Orchestra on two occasions while living in Washington, D.C. Hackleman has played principal horn in the Chautauqua Orchestra at The Chautauqua Institute and at the Waterloo Festival in Princeton, New York.

Hackleman plays solo horn in the Washington Symphonic Brass, with which he has recorded four CDs. He also teaches at The Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta, Canada with the All Star Brass, a team of renowned brass soloists led by international trumpet soloist Jens Lindemann. It released its fourth CD in spring 2013.

Hackleman has made numerous recordings with the National Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Montréal Symphony, Canadian Brass, Tidewater Brass, and the Empire Brass. In 1997, he recorded his first solo CD, After a Dream, comprised entirely of his own arrangements for solo horn with piano and string accompaniment. He then recorded Romanza with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, which featured five lost Romantic concertos. In addition, a recording of chamber music for two horns and bassoon was released in spring 1996. In November 1998, he released a Christmas recording with horn quartet. A disc of Brahms’s Horn Trio with other chamber music was released in July 2000. His most recent CD is a duo collaboration with his wife, Kelly Ker Hackleman, titled Solitary Hotel, which includes the works of Massenet, Rheinberger, Hlobil, Barber, and Wilder. The Hackleman Duo has planned two more CDs for the next year.

Contact Professor Hackleman at:
University of Missouri-Kansas City
204 Grant Hall
5227 Holmes St
Kansas City, MO 64110-2229
816-235-2909