GRAMMY® Award winner Jennifer Montone has been hailed by the New York Times for her “flawless horn solos … and warm and noble sound.” As principal horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra, and a world acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, and teacher, she has been on the faculties of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School since joining the Orchestra in 2006.
Previously principal horn of the St. Louis Symphony and associate principal horn of the Dallas Symphony, Ms. Montone was an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University and performer/faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School. She currently coaches on occasion at the New World Symphony, the Music Academy of the West, and the Sarasota Music Festival. She was third horn of the New Jersey Symphony and has performed as a guest artist with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Classical Tahoe, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
Ms. Montone has performed as a soloist with The Philadelphia Orchestra, with which she made her solo debut in 2010; the St. Louis Symphony; the Dallas Symphony; the National Symphony; the Polish National Radio Symphony; the Warsaw National Philharmonic; and the Curtis Institute of Music Orchestra, among others. Her recording of the Penderecki Horn Concerto (“Winterreise”) with the Warsaw National Philharmonic won a 2013 GRAMMY Award in the category of “Best Classical Compendium.” Her other solo and chamber music recordings include Jennifer Montone Performs, Still Falls the Rain, Gabrieli and Wagner with the National Brass Ensemble, Tchaikovsky and Ewald featuring The Philadelphia Orchestra’s principal brass quintet, Song of Shinobeu, and many educational videos.
Ms. Montone made her Weill Concert Hall solo recital debut in October 2008. She has appeared as a featured artist at many International Horn Society workshops and gives solo recitals throughout the United States. As a chamber musician, she performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Chamber Music Festival, the National Brass Ensemble, the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, the Bravo! Vail Chamber Music Festival, the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and Bay Chamber Concerts. She attended the Spoleto Italy Chamber Music Festival and the Marlboro Music Festival.
Ms. Montone is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Julie Landsman, pedagogue and former principal horn of the Metropolitan Opera. In May 2006 she was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. She is also the winner of the 1996 Paxman Young Horn Player of the Year Award in London and was inducted into the 2025 Fairfax County Public Schools Hall of Fame. A native of northern Virginia, Ms. Montone studied with Edwin Thayer, principal horn of the National Symphony, as a fellow in the Symphony’s Youth Fellowship Program and was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center. She is married to double bass player Timothy Ressler and immensely enjoys spending time with her two young sons, Max and Felix.
