Horn players from across the western U.S. will come together Oct. 23 - 27 on the UNLV campus to learn and share technique as part of the inaugural Western U.S. Horn Symposium. Each day of master classes and clinics will culminate with an evening concert, open to the public, that features some of the most noted musicians and composers in the U.S.

Bill Bernatis, horn professor at UNLV, will host the event that is in part sponsored by the UNLV College of Fine Arts, Department of Music and Performing Arts Center.

Among the highlights will be a world premiere of a horn octet composed by Eric Ewazen, a faculty member at the Juilliard School who has had his music performed at many major U.S. festivals and by prominent orchestral soloists. Especially unique is that the Ewazen premiere uses the city and surroundings of Las Vegas as inspiration.

"What has always attracted me to Eric's music is his unique talent for capturing the essence of a place or scene," said Bobbie Litzinger, a horn player who commissioned the work, along with husband Allan Ginsberg, as a gift to UNLV. "Eric has integrated both the desert landscape and the bright neon lights of our city into his new work, which is called 'High Desert Octet.'"

Featured guest artists include John Clark, an internationally noted jazz hornist who has performed with the greatest names of the jazz world, and Jim Thatcher, a Los Angeles studio hornist who is considered the "first call" horn of the film industry.

Also appearing during the event are musicians from the Milwaukee Ballet, Toledo (Ohio) Symphony, Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Indiana State University, University of Colorado and University of California, Santa Barbara.

Tickets are $8 general admission, $5 for military and seniors and free for all students, UNLV faculty and staff. Tickets may be purchased at the Performing Arts Center Box Office, which can be reached Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please call 895-ARTS (2787) for additional ticket information.