Roger Kaza
Assistant Professor of Horn

e-mail
office: MSM 315
office phone: (713)743-3158
address: 120 School of Music Bldg, Houston, TX 77204-4017

Roger Kaza is Associate Principal Horn of the Houston Symphony.  He previously played with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, the Boston Symphony, and the Boston Pops, where he was solo horn under John Williams.  He currently serves on the faculty of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston and has appeared as guest artist and lecturer for the International Horn Society.   His well-known humorous instructional CD "Audition: Improbable" is now available on the Web at www.osmun.com.

Roger Kaza joined the Houston Symphony as Associate Principal horn in 1995, having previously played with the Saint Louis Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony, the Boston Symphony, and the Boston Pops, where he was solo horn under John Williams.  A native of Portland, Oregon, Kaza attended Portland State University, studying with Christopher Leuba, and later transferred to the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he received a Bachelor of Music with Honors in 1977 under the tutelage of Thomas E. Newell, Jr.

Kaza's musical activities are wide-ranging.  The son of two musicians, growing up in a musical family, he received his early training on piano, giving two solo recitals on that instrument before concentrating on horn.  He has studied composition with the Czech-American composer Tomas Svoboda, and conducting with Leonard Slatkin, Gunther Schuller, and Murry Sidlin.    He currently conducts a chamber orchestra from the Houston Symphony in community outreach activities.

As an educator, Kaza has served on the faculty of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and has previously taught at the Saint Louis Conservatory, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Southern Illinois University, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and given master classes at the University of Michigan, University of Iowa, University of British Columbia, Southern Methodist University, University of Southern Mississippi, the Eastman school of music, and others.  Students from his many years of teaching fill orchestral positions worldwide, including principal players in major U.S. symphonies, and chamber groups such as the Canadian Brass. In addition, he has been engaged as guest artist and performer for the International Horn Society at international and regional conferences.   His well-known humorous instructional CD, "Audition:Improbable " is now available on the Web at www.osmun.com. 

Kaza has appeared as soloist with many orchestras, including the Saint Louis, Vancouver, and Houston Symphonies.  A frequent chamber musician as well, he has appeared at numerous summer venues, including the Bravo! Vail Valley Festival, Music in the Mountains,  Chamber Music Northwest, Mainly Mozart, Aspen and Marrowstone festivals. He was recently appointed principal horn of the Chatauqua Festival assuming this post in 2002.

An avid bicyclist, hiker, and whitewater rafter, Kaza is especially fond of the horn in its "original" setting: out-of-doors.  A performance of Olivier Messiaen's Interstellar Call , from "From the Canyons to the Stars, " recorded at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, was personally critiqued by the composer shortly before his death in 1992.  Kaza testifies–from personal experience–that a Conn 8D in its case will float, at least temporarily.

Roger is married to the pianist Patti Wolf and they have a six-year old daughter, Jocelyn.