The Horn Signal

Episode #16 - Laura Brenes

The Horn Signal is proudly brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass [https://bobreeves.com/]. Join hosts John Snell [john.snell@bobreeves.com] and Preston Shepard [preston@bobreeves.com] as they interview horn players around the world. Today's episode features LA/Hollywood Studio Hornist, Laura Brenes [https://connselmer.com/artists/laura-brenes]. About Laura: French Horn player, Laura Brenes began playing horn when she was 9 years old. She decided to give life as a professional musician a shot after being a part of the "Disney Collegiate All-Star Band" in 1999. After that, she studied with the legendary Vince DeRosa while obtaining her master's degree at the University of Southern California. While still in school, she began performing with local orchestras and various ensembles. She has been able to perform in numerous diverse musical situations. Some highlights include being a part of the orchestra for the academy awards, touring the world with groups including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performing concerts with Danny Elfman at the Coachella music festival, and becoming a Guiness Book of World Records Record holder for being a part of the largest ever orchestra for a hip-hop concert. Over the years, the majority of her work has been in the recording studio where she can be heard on hundreds of soundtracks for all types of media. Among the titles are "Star Wars," "Oppenheimer," "West Side Story (2021)," "Frozen," "The Fablemans," "Turning Red," "Disenchanted," "Jungle Cruise," "Free Guy," "Encanto," "Avatar," "SpongeBob," "Inside Out," and many more. Laura has been solo principal horn for many projects including John Williams' series "Obi Wan (2022)." She released a solo album in 2015 entitled "a Time and a Place" which can be found on all platforms.

Episode #15 - John Little

The Horn Signal is proudly brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass [https://bobreeves.com/]. Join hosts John Snell [john.snell@bobreeves.com] and Preston Shepard [preston@bobreeves.com] as they interview horn players around the world. Today's episode features John Little [https://www.johnlittlewunderhorn.com/], horn soloist, and teacher. About John: John Little [https://www.johnlittlewunderhorn.com/] has been a touring member of the Starlight Horn Duo, been a featured artist at the Northeast Horn Workshop, a teaching clinician for the Northeast Horn Workshop, performed as a featured soloist at the KMEA, KMTA, Southern Indiana Mozart Festival, with the Jewish Community Orchestra, The Kentuckiana Philharmonic, The Christian Academy of Louisville Wind Ensemble, Featured artist/clinician at the Ohio University Horn Weekend, and most recently at Murray State University, and Campbellsville University, The University of Kentucky, Valdosta State University, The University of Illinois, and The University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory. His latest solo album, Horn Evolution is on the Parma label, and can be heard on tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, and others. His previous release "Hornistic" can be heard on Spotify, and all streaming services. Mr. Little has taught horn at Centre College, the University of Louisville Community Music Program, and has twice been artist in residence at Bellarmine University, as well as being Instructor of horn at Campbellsville University. In 2008 he was awarded the MTNA STaR award for outstanding teaching, and is an MTNA certified Master Teacher. His former students have won positions with the orchestras of Richmond (VA), Louisville, Fort Wayne, Annapolis, Santiago Chile, The Chicago Civic, and a professorship of horn position at Campbellsville University. John Little is a representative of Buffet Crampon USA, and is a Hans Hoyer concert artist [https://www.hans-hoyer.com/en/artist/john-little/], performing on a Meister Hans Hoyer horn, and is a Parma recording artist. He teaches modern horn, hand horn, baroque horn, peak performance, and performance practice.

Episode #14 - Kaylet Torrez

The Horn Signal is proudly brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass [https://bobreeves.com/]. Join hosts John Snell [john.snell@bobreeves.com] and Preston Shepard [preston@bobreeves.com] as they interview horn players around the world. Today's episode features Kaylet Torrez [https://www.instagram.com/kaylettorrez/], of the Pacific Symphony, and studio horn player. About Kaylet: Kaylet Torrez began her musical studies at the age of three through Venezuela's renowned El Sistema program and started studying the horn at age eight. From 2004 to 2014, she was a member of the horn section of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, performing in major concert halls including the Berlin Philharmonie, Royal Albert Hall, KKL Lucerne, Beethovenhalle Bonn, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and Teatro alla Scala, among others. In 2014, she was appointed Principal Horn of the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia. In 2015, she received a full scholarship to study at the Colburn School in Los Angeles with Andrew Bain. Since 2016, Kaylet has performed with major orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, appearing frequently as a guest principal horn. She has also toured internationally with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pacific Symphony. In 2018, she joined the roster of Hollywood studio musicians and has recorded for major motion pictures including The Lion King, Jumanji, Minions, Bumblebee, Predator, Aquaman, and Terminator, among others. In 2025, Kaylet won the Associate Principal Horn audition with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. She continues to appear as a guest principal horn internationally and is regularly invited to perform at festivals and special projects. An active educator, Kaylet has presented masterclasses and educational programs in Los Angeles (including UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music), Mexico City, and Colombia. She currently serves as Assistant Principal Horn of the Pacific Symphony, a position she has held since 2017, and maintains a private studio where she mentors young horn players in orchestral performance, studio work, and audition preparation.

Episode #13 - Preston Shepard

The Horn Signal is proudly brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass [https://bobreeves.com/] and the Colburn School Summer Brass Institute [https://colburnschool.edu/summer-music-camps-los-angeles/los-angeles-brass-institute/]. Join hosts John Snell [john.snell@bobreeves.com] and Preston Shepard [preston@bobreeves.com] as they interview horn players around the world. Today's episode features Preston Shepard [https://www.prestonshepard.com/], Los Angeles freelance horn player and podcast host. About Preston Shepard: Preston Shepard is an active free-lance hornist in the Los Angeles area. A student of Joseph Meyer, he studied at Cal State University Northridge and Azusa Pacific University. Preston has performed with the San Diego Symphony, the Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Long Beach Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, San Bernardino Symphony, New West Symphony, Redlands Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, Santa Maria Symphony, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, and many others around the Greater Los Angeles area. He has also recorded on numerous feature films, television shows and specials such as Avatar 2, Zootopia 2, Hocus Pocus 2, Aquaman 2, Wish, Encanto : Live at the Hollywood Bowl, The Game Awards, Big City Greens, The Nun, The Boogeyman, Geostorm, Inhumans, The Orville, Blood and Treasure, Homecoming Season 2, Star Trek : Lower Decks, Picard, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Solar Opposites, and Presumed Innocent as well as for video game projects such as Fortnite, Overwatch and League of Legends. He has also recorded on albums for artists such as Avenged Sevenfold and Deadmau5. Preston is the adjunct professor of horn at Westmont College and The Master's University.

Episode #12 - Audrey Flores

The Horn Signal is proudly brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass [https://bobreeves.com/]. Join hosts John Snell [john.snell@bobreeves.com] and Preston Shepard [preston@bobreeves.com] as they interview horn players around the world. Today's episode features Audrey Flores [https://www.audreyfloreshorn.com/home], NYC freelancer and Broadway horn player. About Audrey: Audrey Flores [https://www.instagram.com/audrey.flores.horn/?hl=en] is a freelancing horn player in New York City. She performs on a Patterson Hornworks Triple Horn. Audrey began playing as a substitute on The Lion King in 2012, and as solo horn on Aladdin in 2015, and held chairs in Tammy Faye in 2024 and Boop! The Musical in 2025. She is the horn player at Paper Mill Playhouse and has also played productions at the Westport Playhouse and at the Delaware Theatre Company. She can be heard on cast album recordings for Boop!, She Has Risen, an all-female concept album of Jesus Christ Superstar, and on the single tracks for Lempicka. Audrey also recorded a self-titled solo album in 2017. Audrey appeared as Principal Horn of the Princeton Symphony and the Reading Symphony during the 2023/2024 season. She was Acting Principal Horn of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in Ohio for the 2017-2018 season. Audrey has also played with the New World Symphony, the Miami, the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, the Distinguished Concerts International Orchestra of New York, the Jerusalem Symphony, the American Ballet Theatre, the New York Philharmonic, the Mariinsky Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble. She was a musician in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular Orchestra in 2019, 2018, 2012 and 2011, and in the New York Spectacular in the summer of 2016. She is also a proud member of Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band in NYC, who recently produced its first album. She has also recorded for the 8-Bit Big Band, and is currently developing a new solo album which will celebrate Sephardic, Spanish, and Mexican music through horn and guitar. Audrey is a passionate advocate for musicians of color in the arts. In addition to mentoring and creating access for musicians of color in NYC through Musicians of Social Equity (MUSE) and Maestra Music, she has been a faculty member of Juilliard MAP since 2021, where she strives to give young underrepresented musicians any resource and benefit they might need to pursue the horn successfully and honestly.