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Principal Horn

Gerald "Gerry" Wood

Gerald "Gerry" Wood, praised for his "polished tone and amazing expressivity" by the Dallas Morning News, joined the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra as Principal Horn in 2022. In addition to his duties with the Fort Worth Symphony, he is newly appointed principal horn of the Colorado Music Festival.

Prior to his current appointments, Mr. Wood held positions in the Dallas Opera Orchestra and the Dallas Winds and was a prolific freelancer in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. His diverse performance experience spans drum and bugle corps, chamber ensembles, video game recording sessions, and orchestras worldwide, with performances in China, Korea, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Switzerland. He has appeared as a soloist at the Busan Maru International Music Festival in Korea and is a founding member of the internationally renowned horn quartet, The Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse.

A well-respected educator and clinician, Mr. Wood serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Horn at the University of Texas Arlington. He is also the founder and director of The UTA Honors Horn Camp and the Bluebonnet Horn Festival, both dedicated to educating and inspiring young horn players. For over a decade, he was the Horn instructor at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute. Mr. Wood has presented numerous clinics and performances at workshops and universities across the country, including two appearances at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, he has several articles published in the New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

A native of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Mr. Wood holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master's in Horn Performance from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Horn Performance and Instrumental Conducting at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

Gerry and his wife, Molly, reside in Azle with the last of their three children. He is proud that his entire family, including Molly, are successful horn players and musicians. (And for those curious, Gerry hasn't had hair on his head since he was about twenty, and his kids don't find him funny either!)

Gerry is a Yamaha Performing Artist and plays a Yamaha 871D.