Guildhall questions: Jo Hensel answers

On Sunday 13 October, the British Horn Society's annual British Horn Festival will take place at Milton Court in partnership with Guildhall, welcoming international horn players Christopher Parkes and Richard Bissill together with fellow Guildhall horn professors Sue Dent, Roger Montgomery and David Pyatt.

We caught up with Jo Hensel, horn player and Deputy Head of Wind, Brass & Percussion at Guildhall, to find out more about Guildhall's partnership with the British Horn Society and what audiences can expect at this year's festival.

The British Horn Festival is now in its 39th year. What do you think is the secret of such longevity?

Horn players are sociable beings and coming together to celebrate our glorious and often challenging instrument is always fun. The British Horn Festival is also an opportunity for the professionals to inspire young (and older) players who are earlier on in their journey with the horn. Those seem like pretty good reasons to come together year after year!

Why was Guildhall chosen as this year’s host venue for the festival?

Guildhall is a great venue for a music festival – with the wonderful Milton Court Concert Hall, together with other good spaces for workshops and masterclasses and a brilliant Foyer for the trade stands. In addition to this, horn playing at Guildhall is in fine shape. We have a great team of committed and inspiring professors and wonderful, responsive students. I suppose that those two things between them and the fact that we have a “can-do” sort of attitude made it an obvious choice.

What are you most looking forward to about the festival on 13 October?

Well obviously I am really looking forward to seeing old horn-playing friends and making new ones. In addition to this, we have such a range of events for all horn players – whether they have been playing for years or have just started - and I can’t wait to see everyone having fun, learning and being inspired by the sessions. The festival has such an infectious buzz – and that alone will make all the hard work and preparation worth it!

The festival closes with an evening Gala concert. What’s in store for the audience?

Spoiler alert…..The Gala concert is a fantastic mix of all the best things about the horn. It starts with a fun performance of “The Trolley Song” by all 20 of the Guildhall horn students, together with a jazz trio. We also have what I know will be exquisite solos from Chris Parkes, Hervé Joulain and Roger Montgomery. They have chosen pieces which capture the essential essence of the horn – with it’s gorgeous sound and vocal quality. The British Horn Society commissioned Richard Bissill to write a brand new horn quartet for this Festival – and it will be premiered in this concert – performed by members of the wonderful Royal Opera House Horn section (three of whom also happen to be Guildhall horn professors!).

A great British Horn Festival tradition continues with Richard Bissill’s arrangement of “Bohemian Rhapsody” performed by the “All-Stars Ensemble”. This ensemble is made of up 16 top professional horn players who have been invited to come together to perform in the Gala Concert. This year’s stars include Frank Lloyd, Hugh Seenan and Chris Larkin and of course many of the players who have been involved throughout the day including Richard Bissill, Chris Parkes, Tom Redmond, David Pyatt, Roger Montgomery, Hervé Joulain, Beth Randell, Tim Ellis and Jonny Durrant. 

You have been Deputy Head of Wind, Brass and Percussion at Guildhall School since 2011. What do you most enjoy about working with young musicians?

It’s a real privilege to be on a journey with a student, from their first day as a 1st year, to when they emerge at the other end – as a technicolour version of the musician and the person that they came in as.

Through the training, we aim to enable them to become the best player and musician that they can be – although I know that many of my colleagues would agree with me when I say that the learning starts in earnest the minute they walk out of the door (a bit like when you pass your driving test!). As importantly, through the training and with the passage of time, students develop as rounded human beings – and it’s a joy to witness this personal development. 

Who have been some of your biggest inspirations in your career?

Ian Lowes took me on as a horn pupil when I was 16 years old. At that time, he was 2nd Horn in the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and he happened to move to the town where I went to school, just at the time that I needed taming as a horn player. He worked miracles in the short time I was learning with him – with patience and infinite wisdom - and I can honestly say that without his input at that critical time, I don’t think that I would have become a horn player.

Richard Bissill was another big inspiration – in a completely different way. As my teacher at Guildhall, he taught me to chill out! His words still pop into my head every time I find myself running for a train “never run for the train…there will always be another one..”

What are your passions outside of music?

I have always been interested in psychology. I couldn’t decide whether to play the horn or become a psychologist when I left school – and decided I wanted to do both, but that I had better learn to play the horn properly first! Once I started working professionally as a horn player, I took an Open University Psychology Degree, and later trained as an Executive Coach.

I have continued to use that side of things throughout my musical career – in my work at Guildhall where I coach staff and students and also teach coaching on Guildhall’s own accredited coaching courses; in the outreach work which I do as a member of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and as a freelance coach working with individuals and organisations. I am now combining the Psychology, Coaching and Music in a PhD in which I am looking at the impact of a particular school of coaching on Conservatoire music students. That’s a real passion.

At the end of the day, though – I come back to the horn – which is probably the one thing in my working life that I wouldn’t be without!

If you had one piece of advice for young musicians today, what would it be?

If you want to do something well, pursue it with a passion whilst staying interested in the world around you. “Passion with perspective” – there – that’s my thought for the day.

The British Horn Festival will take place at Milton Court from 10.30am on Sunday 13 October. Tickets are available from Barbican Box Office.