Ann Ellsworth, french horn B.M., Eastman School of Music B.A., University of Rochester Graduate Studies, The Juilliard School M.M., University of Maryland Graduate Studies, Rimsky Korsakov Conservatory, USSR “I help my students achieve their goals and find solutions to individual problems.” Ann Ellsworth began playing the French Horn at the age of 10 because she thought “it looked and sounded beautiful.” After growing up in northern California, she moved to New York to attend graduate school and settled in New York to perform and teach. A dedicated teacher, Ann works to “help my students achieve their goals and find solutions to individual problems.” She enjoys working with students of all ages, including adults, but recommends that children wait until they have all their front teeth and are able to comfortably hold the horn before starting lessons. For younger students eager to start horn but not quite ready physically, Ann recommends piano lessons to establish basic musical skills that will easily transfer to the French Horn. Some of Ann’s favorite pieces to study and perform are solo works from the early baroque period, but she “is happy to play any music that is challenging and well thought out.” She also performs frequently in chamber and orchestral ensembles and believes that all types of collaboration “use a different part of my brain.” A faculty member at Bloomingdale for over 10 years, one of Ann’s favorite Bloomingdale experiences was a horn recital with 24 horn players playing Gabrielli’s Canzon No. 15 with the performers spread out standing all around the concert hall. “Bloomingdale is about community for me, both within the school and providing a place for other groups to come together, like the freelance horn community.” In her free time Ann pursues a wide array of hobbies including writing fiction, drawing, painting, hiking, and playing squash with her brother.