Jeff Garza

About Jeff

Jeff Garza was appointed principal horn of the Oregon Symphony in October 2019. He has previously held principal positions with the San Antonio Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Britt Festival Orchestra and Festival Mozaic. Garza has served as guest principal horn in dozens of orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Utah Symphony, New Zealand Symphony and Melbourne Symphony. During the summer festival season, he is principal horn of the Bellingham Festival of Music.

As a chamber musician and soloist, Garza has performed at festivals, workshops, and concert series throughout the United States, including Chamber Music Northwest, Concordia Chamber Players, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, and Cactus Pear Music Festival. He is a core member and former Artistic Director of Olmos Ensemble, a chamber music group based in San Antonio, Texas. His recent recording credits include chamber music by composers Mark Abel (Spectrum, Delos Productions) and Andrew Lewinter (Music for Brass and Piano, Novona Records).

Garza is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. He received additional musical training as a fellow with the New World Symphony and the Tanglewood Music Center.

A committed music educator, Garza conducts clinics and masterclasses across the country. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Horn and chamber music coach at Oregon State University and the University of Portland. He has previously held faculty positions at Brevard Music Center, St. Mary’s University, San Antonio College, and Trinity University.

I encourage students to imagine musical ideas and then develop technique to turn those ideas into sounds. Other areas of emphasis include developing an efficient approach to using embouchure and air, learning productive practice strategies, and using mindfulness techniques to manage performance anxiety.