About Izula Horns

Izula Horns is an ensemble that strongly believes in the unique ability of the arts to inspire social change. Music, and the arts as a whole, are an expressive outlet common to the human experience. We aim to harness this power to engage and connect with our audiences, and thus seek innovative approaches to programming and presentation. Dedicated to audience engagement and social justice, each member has first-hand experience with community-based music education programs and brings a wealth of personal experiences to the ensemble's unique performance style. Concrete activism is also important to us as an ensemble; in this facet of our work, we aim to use music as a tool for fundraising and education.

​Katy Ambrose joined the faculty of the McIntire Department of Music at the University of Virginia and Principal Horn of the Charlottesville Symphony in Fall 2015. Katy is involved with the Boulanger Initiative, a not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC that promotes music by women. She has performed with many orchestras throughout the country, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Company of Philadelphia, and others. Katy is especially interested in mentoring younger musicians and has taught for and developed programs for several education programs including the Philadelphia Orchestra School Partnership Program and the “El-Sistema” inspired programs Tune-Up, Philly and Play On, Philly! She holds degrees from Yale University, Cincinnati-Conservatory, and the University of Michigan.  

​Shona Goldberg-Leopold is an active freelance horn player and teacher in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area.  She performs regularly with the Baltimore Symphony, National Philharmonic, and many other local ensembles.  Shona is also passionate about music education and acts as the Music Coordinator and Horn Teacher for the Baltimore School for the Arts’ TWIGS program, a comprehensive free arts program for elementary and middle school students in Baltimore City.  A native of Philadelphia, Shona received her B.M. from Vanderbilt University and M.M. from Peabody Conservatory.  Shona is proud to have completed her main studies with two incredible female hornists, Leslie Norton of the Nashville Symphony and Denise Tryon, formerly of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

​​Lauren Hunt is an active freelancer based in the Washington, DC area. Winner of the International Horn Competition of America in 2013, Lauren has appeared at music festivals from coast to coast, including Marlboro, Spoleto, and Artosphere. A featured performer in 2017’s Phoenix Chamber Music Festival, she can be heard on an upcoming album of Beethoven’s chamber works for winds. In addition to performing in international tours with ensembles such as the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Lauren has been especially dedicated to her international teaching work with numerous "El Sistema"-style programs throughout the Western Hemisphere over the past ten years. For two years, Lauren served as horn faculty at Illinois State University, and she has presented master classes and recitals throughout the United States.

​Valerie Sly currently serves as Principal horn of West Virginia Symphony. She is also an active freelancer, performing frequently with the Virginia Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, and others. Valerie has performed twice as a featured soloist for the Vermont Mozart Festival and has had summer fellowships at the Lucerne Festival Academy, Spoleto Festival USA, and Colorado College Summer Music Festival. Valerie has served as Co-Principal horn of the Adrian Symphony and Third Horn of the Jackson Symphony in her home state of Michigan. She holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, where she studied with Roland Pandolfi, and Yale School of Music, where she studied with William Purvis.