The Alphorn Podcast

🇨🇭 Melanie Oesch ist zu Gast im Alphorn Podcast. Ein Gespräch über Jodel, Alphorn, Familie und den Mut, ein Lebenswerk loszulassen, bevor Oesch’s die Dritten sich auf ihre letzte Tournee verabschieden.
🇺🇸 Melanie Oesch joins The Alphorn Podcast. We talk yodeling, the alphorn, three decades of family music, and what it takes to let a life’s work go as Oesch’s die Dritten head into their final tour.

📍 Live at Leavenworth Oktoberfest, Oct 2–3
@melanieoeschofficial @oeschsdiedritten_official
#MelanieOesch #OeschsDieDritten #AlphornPodcast #Alphorn #Jodel #Yodeling #MERCITour #Volksmusik #SwissMusic #LeavenworthOktoberfest

https://www.alpensong.com/
https://www.alphornassociation.org/

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

Dr. Kageyama is a performance psychologist. He works with musicians around the world to apply sports psychology principles to music. Born in Marysville, Ohio, he began playing violin at age two. He later studied violin with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, the founder of the Suzuki method. Dr. Kageyama holds a BA in psychology from Oberlin, a master’s in Violin Performance from Juilliard, and an MS and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University. He is on faculty at Juilliard and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Dr. Kageyama’s blog and podcast, The Bulletproof Musician, reaches over 100,000 readers each month.

The Bulletproof Musician

https://www.juilliard.edu/music/faculty/kageyama-noa

https://www.instagram.com/bulletproofmusician/?hl=en

The Bulletproof Musician

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpl7EuaNIoiWtqUe2uqikmw

Entrepreneur of the Month: Noa Kageyama

https://Alpensong.com

https://www.alphornassociation.org/

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

🎙️ NEW EPISODE: Featuring Nikolette (Nikki) LaBonte! 🎶

(Note for listeners: Due to a technical glitch, our recorded intro was cut, so this episode jumps straight into our conversation with Nikki!)

In this episode, we sit down with Nikolette (Nikki) LaBonte—a professional French Horn artist, Alphorn artist, and harmonic series genius! 🏔️📯

Nikki holds the Principal Horn position of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. She also serves as principal horn of the Music in the Mountains Summer Festival.

Nikki previously held positions with:

• Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

• Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

• Hawaii Symphony Orchestra

She serves as the Assistant Artistic Director of Cormont and she is a member of the Horn Call Editorial Board of the International Horn Society (IHS).

Ms. LaBonte is former Instructor of Natural Horn at the Eastman School of Music, and she served on the faculties of the Eastman Horn Institute, PRISMA, and Carnegie Hall’s NYO-USA. Nikki has been a guest lecturer at a myriad of institutions including Oberlin Conservatory, SUNY Potsdam, the University of Maryland, and the University of Texas Austin.

Nikki is an award-winning soloist. She and was a participant in the prestigious ARD International Competition in 2021 as the only American horn player invited.

🌐 Brought to you with:

alpensong.com | alphornassociation.org

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

🎙️ NEW EPISODE SHOWCASE: Featuring Multi-Instrumentalist & Vocalist Stephen Saxon! 🎶

Stephen Saxon is a professional trumpet player, vocalist, cantor, composer, and alphorn artist. He is a member of Alphorns SF, and he has been a member of the San Francisco Klezmer Experience / KlezX, Chanticleer, The Klezmorim, and a variety of classical and contemporary a cappella groups. Stephen performed at the Eidgenössisches Jodlerfest 2026 and the Northern California Alphorn Festival 2026. 

🎧 Listen & Explore:

👉 Website & Bio: cantorsaxon.com

👉 Alphorns SF: alphornssf.org

👉 KlezCalifornia Profile: klezcalifornia.org

📺 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/user/KlezmerGuy

🎬 Featured Performance: Basel Regio Alphorn Group Performance

📩 Connect directly: [email protected]

🌐 Brought to you in partnership with:

alpensong.com | alphornassociation.org

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

🎶 THIS WEEK ON THE ALPHORN PODCAST: JIM HOPSON! 🎶

Get ready for an incredible conversation with Jim Hopson—a professional alphorn, trombone, and tuba artist, world-renowned composer, and educator from Vancouver, British Columbia! 🇨🇦🎺

Jim is currently on faculty at the University of British Columbia, where he teaches a myriad of classes including Jazz, Brass, and Percussion. Throughout his career, Jim has conducted thousands of workshops, clinics, and masterclasses for students of all ages and abilities.

But Jim’s impact on the alphorn world goes even further. He is one of the world’s most prolific alphorn recording artists, with Alphorn Generations and en plein air standing out as two of the best alphorn recordings of all time. 🎶🏔️

His Master’s thesis, “en plein air: Holistic post-digital Alphorn artistry and pedagogy in the Pacific Northwest,” is based on his 2024 album and explores the artistic and pedagogical foundations behind his work—offering a blueprint for musicians and educators seeking “eco-musical self-realization through song, wind, and groove in the post-digital age.”

This is a conversation you DON’T want to miss! Jim’s unique perspective on alphorn artistry, education, composition, recording, and the future of the instrument makes this week’s episode a fascinating listen for alphorn players, musicians, educators, and music lovers alike. ❤️🎶

🎵 Listen to Jim’s recordings and download his compositions on Bandcamp:
Jim Hopson on Bandcamp

Learn more about Jim and his work:

Jim Hopson Music
Phonos Music
University of British Columbia – Jim Hopson
Jim Hopson on Facebook
Alphorn.ca – Jim Hopson

ANNA https://www.alphornassociation.org/

Alpensong https://www.alpensong.com/

#TheAlphornPodcast #JimHopson #Alphorn #AlphornMusic #AlphornArtist #AlphornCommunity #BrassMusic #MusicEducation #AlphornProject #AANA

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

🎶🇨🇭 From the University of the Pacific to the Swiss Alps… this is an alphorn journey you won’t want to miss! 🇨🇭🎶

On this episode of The Alphorn Podcast, we’re excited to feature Ciera Alkhoury!

Ciera Alklhoury is a student at the University of the Pacific where she is studying horn performance and music history. She has spent the past year studying the alphorn as part of AANA's Alphorn Project at the University of the Pacific.

Ciera won a research grant to study the history of the Alphorn in Switzerland during the summer of 2026. Her project thesis was "Swiss Alphorn Traditions: Informing Modern Horn Playing and Pedagogy.” During her study in Switzerland, Ciera also competed at the 2026 International Alphorn Festival in Nendaz! 🇨🇭

Ciera is giving a lecture and an alphorn recital titled "Reflections from the Alps" on 30 September 2026 at 7:30 p.m. PDT at the University of the Pacific.

🎧 Tune in to hear about Ciera’s experience studying the alphorn, researching its rich history in Switzerland, competing in Nendaz, and bringing her experiences from the Alps back to her work as a modern horn player and educator!

Be sure to listen to this inspiring episode of The Alphorn Podcast! 🎶📯🇨🇭

✨ Follow Ciera and check out more of her alphorn journey:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciera_alkhoury/

🎶 Alphorn Recital — “Reflections from the Alps”: https://www.pacific.edu/event/alphorn-recital-reflections-alps

🇨🇭 Alphorn Showcase at German Guys, Lodi: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-zJr5XfgJj8

📯 Watch more from Ciera: https://youtube.com/watch?v=z4nsTLnQ6X0&is=HbSGenPZWYLjoNva

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

🏔️🎶 The 2026 Midwest Alphorn Retreat! 🎶🏔️

Dr. Peggy DeMers and Bill Rose provide an overview of the 2026 Midwest Alphorn Retreat! 

Peggy is a professional alphorn artist, composer and author of the translated version of A.L. Gassmann's "Little Alphorn Book." Bill is a professional alphorn artist, composer, professor of music at McNeese University and the inspiration for the Alphorn Project.

For the past 20 years, Peggy and Bill have served as instructors at multiple alphorn festivals, including the Midwest Alphorn Retreat, the Northwest Alphorn Festival, and the Peoria Alphorn Festival.

Peggy and Bill are true thought leaders in the art of alphorn in North America.

🎶 Looking for alphorn books and music?

You can buy their alphorn books and music at the following sites:

📚 https://www.treblecmusic.com/peggy-demers

🎶 Be sure to check out the 2026 Midwest Alphorn Retreat and explore the music and books from two of North America's leading voices in the art of alphorn!

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

🎶 Dr. Natalie Grana! 🎶

Dr. Natalie Grana is a professional alphorn and French Horn artist, author, and educator. Dr. Grana is on faculty at DePaul University, Loyola University, Lake Forest College, Cormont Horn Camp, the Windy City Alphorn Retreat, the Alphorn Project, and the Alphorn Association of North America (AANA).

Dr. Grana is a global authority on inner hearing and solfege training. She is a Fullbright Scholar who studied at the Kodály Institute of the Liszt Academy of Music in Kecskemét, Hungary.

Dr. Grana is hornist with the Gaudete Brass, a Chicago-based brass quintet. She additionally performs regularly with the Alloy Horn Quartet, and the Rhinemaidens, also based in Chicago.

Dr. Grana holds a D.M.A. in Horn Performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and an MM in Horn Performance and BME in Instrumental Music Education from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Her principal teachers include Randy Gardner, Bernhard Scully, Thomas Jostlein, and Kazimerz Machala. She studied solfege and voice under Agnes Gerges-Gal and Renata Darazs of the Liszt Academy of Music, Hungary.

📖 Buy Dr. Grana’s book:
"A Singing Approach to Horn Playing," which is available through Oxford University Press and Amazon.

Learn more about Dr. Natalie Grana and her work:

https://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/faculty/ndouglass
https://www.luc.edu/dfpa/facultyandstaffdirectory/profiles/nataliegranadma.shtml
https://www.gaudetebrass.com/bios
https://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780197603574/author/
https://horncamp.org/faculty/natalie-douglass-grana/
https://www.amazon.com/Singing-Approach-Horn-Playing-Training-ebook/dp/B0B5HJMN19
https://www.alphornassociation.org/team-3

🎺 Take a moment to learn more about Dr. Grana, explore her work, and check out her book, "A Singing Approach to Horn Playing"!

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

🎶 Meet Ann Ellsworth—an extraordinary musician whose passion for the French Horn, Alphorn, and Wagner Tuba has taken her to remarkable stages around the world!

Ann is a professional French Horn, Alphorn, and Wagner Tuba artist. The Huffington Post called her premiere of a piece for Alphorn (performed in a boxing ring in Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn) “meticulously planned and executed…as fresh and exalted as Alpine air.”

Ann is a Professor of Music at Lawrence University, an artist-in-residence for Lang College, a founding member of the New Music and Culture Symposium, the Lawrence Graduate Bayreuth Tuben Quintet, a member of Kristjan Järvi's Absolute Ensemble Manhattan Brass, founder of the Parallel Play Retreat in the Adirondack Mountains, a former member of the Phoenix Symphony, and an Alphorn Project Ambassador.

Ann is a graduate of the University of Rochester, the University of Maryland, Eastman School of Music, and the Juilliard School of Music, with further study in Oslo and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Learn more about Ann and explore her work:

You can find Ann's music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, and YouTube.

🎵 Be sure to follow Ann's incredible musical journey, listen to her recordings, and share this post with anyone who appreciates exceptional musicianship and the unique sound of the alphorn!

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong

Meet Kevin Rieke! 🏔️🎺

Kevin is an entrepreneur, a member of the Leavenworth Alphorns (AANA's 2025 Organization of the Year), and a student of Dr. Natalie Grana.

A native of Leavenworth, WA, Kevin owns The Hat Shop and The Wood Shop in downtown Leavenworth. When he’s not working, he enjoys outdoor activities—especially Nordic skiing, mountain biking, and hiking. ⛷️🚴‍♂️🥾

In addition to playing the alphorn, Kevin serves as a board member of:

• The Leavenworth Alphorns

• The Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce

• The City of Leavenworth Design Review Board

• The Downtown Steering Committee

He is also a past board member of the Leavenworth Winter Sports Club.

🎥 Watch these videos to learn more about the Leavenworth Alphorns:

▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/zVY6mDdqU0g

▶️ Instagram Reel: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DZk5t45JS7O/

Explore more links & info:

• The Hat Shop & The Wood Shop: https://hatshopwoodshop.com/ | https://hatshopwoodshop.com/about/

• Leavenworth & Local Alphorns: https://leavenworth.org/ | https://leavenworthalphorns.org/ | https://leavenworth.org/business/leavenworth-alphorns/ | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wy5hZFBs3M

• Alphorn Association & Music: https://www.alpensong.com/ | https://www.alphornassociation.org/ | https://www.alphornassociation.org/contact-8

We want to thank our sponsors ANNA and Alpensong