Barbara Jöstlein Currie

Barbara Jöstlein Currie joined the Met Orchestra in 1998, as Assistant Horn. A year later, she won the Fourth Horn position, which she has held since 1999. Growing up in Chicago and studying with former CSO musicians Phil Farkas and Nancy Fako, she left for New York to study with former Met Principal Horn Julie Landsman at the Juilliard School on a full scholarship. When she was a sophomore, she was the runner-up in the Third Horn audition with the San Diego Symphony which led to the opportunity to spend a year with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra as their Associate and Third Horn.

Barbara has performed frequently at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and with the San Diego Symphony during the summer season, as well as one complete season as Second Horn with the San Diego Symphony.

Barbara is a longtime Professor of Horn at the Bard College Conservatory and has been on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music pre-college division and Mannes Prep division and has taught at Juilliard’s pre-college division.

She has has given master classes at many universities such as the Colburn School, Indiana University, Cincinnati Conservatory, University of North Carolina, University of Illinois as well as in Japan and Europe as well as for many international festivals such as Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Lessonface and for Marcus Bonna’s Lyra Bragança during the pandemic.

She was a featured artist at the International Horn Symposium in Kingsville, Texas, where she shared a program with Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Horn Jennifer Montone and Utah Symphony associate hornist Julia Pilant, and performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra horn section in recital at IHS Montreal.

Barbara has performed on the Barbie Movie and on Billie Eilish’s Grammy award winning song “What was I Made For?” and is active in the recording industry, playing both horn and Wagner tuba in movies such as Spike Lee’s High and Low, Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling, the Coen brothers movies True Grit and O Brother Where Art Thou?, Contagion starring Matt Damon, and with musicians such as Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga and Sting, recording in both NYC and Los Angeles.

Barbara has received two patents: one for her new magnetic pencil holder, Brass Witch, and another patent for her newest product, Styl Witch, a magnetic pencil and stylus combo manufactured in Nuremberg, Germany.

Laura Brenes

Laura Brenes lives a life full of music. She studied with the legendary Vince DeRosa while obtaining her master’s degree at the University of Southern California. While still in school, she began performing with local orchestras and various ensembles. She has been able to perform in numerous diverse musical situations. Some highlights include being a part of the orchestra for the Academy Awards, touring the world with groups including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and performing concerts with Danny Elfman at the Coachella music festival. Laura also loves to play in the pit for touring Broadway shows that stop in Los Angeles. Over the past 25 years, the majority of her work has been in the recording studio where she has been able to perform with such legends as John Williams, Kamasi Washington, Alexandre Desplat, Blake Neely, Hans Zimmer, John Debney, and many more. She can be heard on hundreds of soundtracks for movies, television, video games and theme parks as well as record albums with artists such as Lada Gaga, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, and Neil Young. Laura has been solo principal horn for many projects including John Williams’ series Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). She released a solo album in 2015 entitled a Time and a Place which can be found on all platforms.