Education
B.M. in Performance, Hartt College of Music; M.A. in Music, Western Illinois University and Florida State University. Accepted on the Hochschule in Berlin with Gerd Seifert, 1st horn Berlin Philharmonic.
Specialty
Taught bandcamps and church programs while in high school, summer brassclasses Hartt College, Private lessons Nashville, Tn, Pre-college Manhattan School of Music, Ridgewood Conservatory NJ, Wharton Institute, Mason Gross School Rutgers, New Brunswick, after school horn lessons for public school system of West Orange and Greenwich, Ct. Have given multiple Community master classes in libraries, parks and concert halls and teach privately in my home.
Biography
Kathleen Ditmer began playing horn at an early age in the church. She was awarded scholarship to the Hartford Conservatory and won the solo competition at age 14. She joined the musician’s union at 17 to play next to her teacher, Andy Spearman with the Hartford Symphony. She attended Hartt College of Music studying with James Jacobs and Paul Ingraham then moved to Nashville, TN where she finished her BM while recording in the studios there, playing extra with the Nashville Symphony and shows at Opryland, USA with the help of her teacher Eberhard Ramm. She travelled to Europe for four months and was accepted by Gerd Seifert to the Musikhochschule in Berlin. Her Graduate Assistant studies at Florida State University included jazz arranging and assistant horn instructor before finishing her MA degree at Western Illinois University.
Following graduation, Ms. Ditmer began a fruitful freelance career in New York City where she has played with such respected groups as American Ballet Theater, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. She can be heard on numerous TV and movie soundtracks, as well as Broadway shows. Her performance with such talent as Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and Tony Bennett all brought solo bows.
Ms. Ditmer loves to share her knowledge, inspiration and passion for the horn in all genres of music. She started teaching as a camp counselor and went on to create free music programs in her community. She has taught for the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College Division, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers, Wharton Arts and The Ridgewood Conservatory. She teaches privately in her West Orange, NJ home and in after school programs in the public schools.