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Lee Bracegirdle has more than 3 decades' experience as a principal French hornist in orchestras in America, Europe, and Australia (seeresumé). He is credited with introducing both the Anton Horner school of horn playing and the exercises of Carmine Caruso into Australia. The professors with whom he studied were James Chambers, John Cerminaro, Joseph DeAngelis and Ranier DeIntinis, all direct descendants of the Anton Horner and hence Friedrich Gumpert schools of horn playing (see photos below). He also studied privately with Carmine Caruso and Roy Stevens, the two most sought-after brass embouchure clinicians in New York during the 1960s, 70s and 80s. He has given master classes at the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute, Salzburg Mozarteum, University of Illinois, the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, the Conservatorio Esteban Salas in Santiago, Cuba, and the Professional School of the Arts in Matanzas, Cuba. His horn students hold positions in orchestras in Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. He is presently horn tutor at St Andrew's Cathedral School and privately at his home studio.

His volume of clinical embouchure developlment exercises Practical Exercises for Horn (Praktische Übungen für Horn, see editorial review below) is used by horn professors world-wide, and can be obtained directly from the publisher 3-C Musikverlag & Notengrafik in Bochum, Germany as an e-file or as a hard copy at chrischieri.3Cmusik@t-online.de
..or via these links at the following online stores: DC-Musicshop / HeBu Musikverlag

International Music Company publish Lee's edition of Henri Kling's 25 Studies and Preludes for horn. These can be ordered from your local music store.

As well as these horn studies, 3-C also publishes some of Mr. Bracegirdle's brass quintet material. This repertoire includes 2 volumes of Christmas "carol" music European Christmas, and his arrangement of William Brade's 2 Pieces. These arrangements can also be purchased from Blechbläser Sortiment Köbl in München as well as HeBu Musikverlag

Attention, "English" brass players:
"European Christmas" is now also available in "English" brass format (Trumpets in Bb / Horn in Eb / Baritone Horn (or Trombone) in Bb / Tuba in Eb).

"The Horn Call" (February 2001) issued the following reviews about these publications:

(Practical Exercises):
"These exercises offer the moderately-advanced hornist means of improving overall technique and range through relatively brief exercises. All of the exercises are interesting, and some are challenging even to the advanced player. [Mr. Bracegirdle] should be applauded!"

(European Christmas):
"highly recommended as fine 'gig' material for the holiday season!"

Horn players around the world will be acquainted with his jazz horn quartet arrangements of Beatles songs Eleanor Rigby, The Fool on the Hill and Penny Lane. The printed music for these is available directly from Mr. Bracegirdle only. To arrange for your copy, contact him via email: bighorn2001@hotmail.com

The American Horn Quartet recorded his Eleanor Rigby arrangement for their 2014 En-Cor CD, which can be purchased here at iTunes and here at Amazon.com.

Hornist Karl Pituch playing all 4 parts of Lee's arrangements of "The Fool on the Hill" and "Penny Lane"


with his students at their November 2013 soirée, St Andrew's Cathedral School, Sydney	"the long and short of it" with his tallest and smallest students in 2013; Billy Nicolson and Brandon Chung	...and with his tallest and smallest in 2021: Rory McClelland and Katie Chen

November 2014 master class, Conservatorio Esteban Salas in Santiago de Cuba

December 2017 masterclass at the Escuela Profesional de Artes, Matanzas, Cuba

L.B's horn-playing genealogy


James Chambers, L.B.'s horn teacher from 1971-1976 (photo ca. 1955)	2 generations of masters: James Chambers with his teacher: Anton Horner	the legend, Anton Horner late in his career in the Philadelphia Orchestra (mid-1940s)	Friedrich Gumpert, Anton Horner's professor at the Leipzig Conservatory 1890-1894

other masters with whom he studied:


John Cerminaro	Joseph DeAngelis	Ranier Deintinis	Carmine Caruso	Roy Stevens

LB conducting Bondi Brass during the "Festival of the Winds" at Bondi Pavillion, Sydney, Australia
poster for the Willoughby Youth Band workshop and masterclass


with his horn students at St Andrew's Cathedral School (Sydney) and former St Andrew's student Barry Tuckwell. L to R: Head of Music Department Christine Belshaw, Matthew Smolonogov, William Gammel, Lachlan Lonergan, Mr. Tuckwell, L.B., Rohan Grey (November 2007)	horn students at St Andrew's 2008: Rohan Grey Thomas Krizanec Matthew Smolonogov


L.B. directs the Illinois Honors Horn Choir workshop, November 1998	with the I. H. H. C. workshop participants and U. of I. horn professor Kazimierz Machala