Kathleen Ditmer

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 and New Britain Symphonies. She attended Hartt College of Music studying with James Jacobs and Paul Ingraham then moved to Nashville, where she finished her BM while recording studios, playing extra with the Nashville Symphony and shows at Opryland, with the help of her teacher, Eberhard Ramm. She traveled to Europe 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 and trumpet instructor before finishing her MA degree at Western Illinois University. 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. 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 and Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. She is presently on the faculty of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, New Jersey Youth Symphony, The Ridgewood Conservatory and is the Greenwich, CT Continuing Education French horn instructor.