Martin Hackleman: The Hackleman Approach

Biography

Martin Hackleman joined the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance as Artist in Residence and Associate Teaching Professor of Horn in the Fall of 2012. He began playing horn at age 16, studying under Caesar LaMonaca, Barry Tuckwell, and Roland Berger (Vienna Philharmonic). At 19, he won the Principal Horn chair with the Calgary Philharmonic and later joined the Vancouver Symphony as Solo Horn under Maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama in 1974, playing there for 9 years.

In 1983, Hackleman became a member of the Canadian Brass, recording seven albums with CBS Masterworks and touring globally. He later joined the Empire Brass Quintet, balancing a solo career and working with Vienna and Natural Horns. With EBQ, he recorded five CDs.

An advocate for music education, Hackleman published two horn étude books with BIM in Switzerland, which are required at prestigious institutions like the Royal Conservatory in London and the University of Michigan. He now collaborates with Steve Lewis’s Legacy Horn Experience and has been a juror for Canada Council competitions. He’s also taught at the University of Maryland, Boston University, and University of British Columbia, and worked extensively with youth orchestras and brass programs, including the Banff Centre and Summit Brass.

Returning to Vancouver in 1989, Hackleman became Principal Horn of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and adjunct professor at UBC. In 1990, he co-launched “CURIO,” a CBC Radio chamber music series. In the 1999-2000 season, he played Principal Horn with the Montréal Symphony under Charles Dutoit, and in 2000 joined the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, remaining for 12 years. He also played with the Washington Symphonic Brass, recorded four CDs, and performed as guest Principal Horn with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Hackleman has recorded extensively with ensembles such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Symphony,National Symphony, Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, Summit Brass, All Star Brass, and Washington Symphonic Brass. His solo recordings include After a Dream, which are his own arrangements of music that had never been played on horn, and Romanza, a set of five lost Romantic concertos, and he has collaborated with his wife Kelly on the album Solitary Hotel.

Now retired from UMKC, Hackleman resides in Kansas City with his wife Kelly and their two Mini Golden Doodles, Kenna and Duncan.

SPECIALTIES:

Horn embouchure
Instrument design
Performance anxiety
Audition preparation
Breathing
Focal dystonia
Practice routine

LANGUAGES:

English