Dale Clevenger has held the position of principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) since February 1966. His influence in orchestral horn performance and pedagogy has been far reaching because of his contributions to the CSO and the achievements of the CSO brass section as a whole. He has performed thousands of concerts and recorded hundreds of works with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As a pedagogue, Clevenger has taught many of today’s most prominent and successful horn players, ranging from international soloists to professional orchestral musicians. He has taught at Northwestern University and currently serves on the faculty of Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts.
The purpose of this document is twofold. First, it is designed to provide detailed biographical information on Clevenger. This information offers insights into Clevenger’s career, with particular attention given to experiences and decisions that have contributed to his success. The second purpose is to describe in detail two of Clevenger’s unique teaching methods, namely “synchronization” and “pursing.” Through personal interviews, Clevenger has provided highly specific information about these teaching methods. Photographs are included in order to enhance and clarify the descriptions.
This document also contains a comprehensive discography of works Clevenger recorded with the CSO. The discography provides a detailed listing of works he performed, conductors for whom he played and the many soloists with whom he collaborated during his forty-three years as principal horn. The discography is organized chronologically by era, differentiated by each CSO music director’s tenure. These conductors include Jean Martinon, Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim and Bernard Haitink. Works recorded by guest conductors are listed chronologically under each music director’s heading.