Biography
Valerie Whitney, an American hornist with an active presence in Canada, serves on the faculty of the University of British Columbia School of Music. Her training centered primarily in the Chicago region, where she appeared with several acclaimed ensembles, and she has directed educational initiatives and master classes across Chicago and throughout the United States. Whitney also performs on the Wagner tuba, an instrument closely related to the horn, and her playing appears on the 2024 album Christopher Tyler Nickel: Concerto for Piccolo; Concerto for Four Wagner Tubas.
She was born in Evanston, Illinois, in March 1985 and completed her undergraduate studies at Wheaton College in Illinois. From 2006 to 2007 she performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Whitney then earned a second bachelor’s degree in horn performance from Northwestern University in Evanston in 2007. She continued at Northwestern for a master’s degree in horn performance, awarded in 2009, and received her doctorate there in 2017, becoming the first recipient of a D.M.A. in horn performance from the university. Her recording debut occurred in 2016 on the Fifth House Ensemble’s Nedudim, a group with which she had performed since 2013.
Whitney appeared with leading Chicago-area ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 2010 she served as guest principal horn with the Florida Symphony Orchestra. She presented educational programs at Chicago public schools and community centers and has led master classes across the United States. In 2018 she joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia School of Music in Vancouver as Assistant Professor Horn and Brass Area Coordinator. In 2024 she released the solo album Courage! on Summit Records and was featured on the Avie label recording Christopher Tyler Nickel: Concerto for Piccolo; Concerto for Four Wagner Tubas, playing the Wagner tuba, which shares techniques with the French horn.
She was born in Evanston, Illinois, in March 1985 and completed her undergraduate studies at Wheaton College in Illinois. From 2006 to 2007 she performed with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Whitney then earned a second bachelor’s degree in horn performance from Northwestern University in Evanston in 2007. She continued at Northwestern for a master’s degree in horn performance, awarded in 2009, and received her doctorate there in 2017, becoming the first recipient of a D.M.A. in horn performance from the university. Her recording debut occurred in 2016 on the Fifth House Ensemble’s Nedudim, a group with which she had performed since 2013.
Whitney appeared with leading Chicago-area ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. In 2010 she served as guest principal horn with the Florida Symphony Orchestra. She presented educational programs at Chicago public schools and community centers and has led master classes across the United States. In 2018 she joined the faculty of the University of British Columbia School of Music in Vancouver as Assistant Professor Horn and Brass Area Coordinator. In 2024 she released the solo album Courage! on Summit Records and was featured on the Avie label recording Christopher Tyler Nickel: Concerto for Piccolo; Concerto for Four Wagner Tubas, playing the Wagner tuba, which shares techniques with the French horn.
Albums
