2026 Northwest alphorn workshop and festival

 Yannick Wey is a Senior Research Associate at the Competence Center for Music Education Research at Lucerne School of Music, Switzerland. He received a BA and an MA in Trumpet Performance from Zurich University of the Arts and a PhD in Musicology from the University of Innsbruck. In his PhD thesis, he analyzed the musical transcription of the Alpine yodel and related wordless song and the interactions between their oral and written traditions. His current projects inhabit the spaces between ethnography, music analysis, and performance. He plays the traditional wind instruments of the Alpine region, the Alphorn and Büchel. His research has appeared in Analytical Approaches to World Music, Music & Science, The Galpin Society Journal, Musicologist, and the Swiss Yearbook for Musicology. 

 Jim Hopson is a JUNO Award-nominated trombonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and educator based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He has been called a music industry ‘Game Changer’, and his body of work as a performer crosses every genre and includes tours and appearances (live & recorded) all over the world. A dedicated educator, he has taught private lessons and clinics to thousands of young musicians, and has conducted student ensembles of all ages and abilities. He is a first-call arranger for bands and orchestras throughout BC, and his arrangements have been featured on numerous albums, TV shows, and films. His two studio albums ‘West Coast Nights’ (2015) and ‘Generations’ (2018) are available on Bandcamp and in our Store. 

  William G. Rose is Associate Professor of Music (low brass and jazz) at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA. He has recently been appointed Artistic Director/Conductor of the Lake Charles Symphony where he previously served as principal trombonist for 38 years; is principal trombonist for the Rapides Symphony Orchestra (Alexandria, LA) and has performed as principal trombone/bass trombone/euphonium with many orchestras, bands and big bands across the country. Professor Rose has served as a clinician and performed at the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts Biennial Convocation, the International Trombone Association Festival, the New York Brass Conference, the Big 12 Trombone Conference, and the International Horn Society Festival, as well as regional and state festivals and conferences throughout the United States. He is a Yamaha Performing Artist and a 2014 Melodious Accord Composition Fellow.

In 2017 and 2022, he competed at the Festival International des Cor de Alps in Nendaz, Switzerland, and had compositions for alphorn solo and quartet performed. In 2018 he founded the McNeese State University Alphorn Ensemble, the first University alphorn ensembles in the United States offered for credit (no longer the only!). He has served as one of the instructors of the Northwest Alphorn Workshop and the Midwest Alphorn Retreat. Many of his original alphorn works have been commissioned for and been performed at International Horn Society symposiums in 2013 (Memphis, TN), 2019 at (Ball State, Muncie, IN), 2022 (Texas A&M, Kingsville, TX), and most recently in 2025 at IHS 57 (James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA). 

A prolific composer and arranger in multiple genres, his works are published by Abingdon Press, GIA Music, James Cliff Music, Ascenda Music, Cherry Classics, Warwick Music, Fred Bock Music, Editions BIM, Ensemble Publications, Wayne Leupold Editions, Cimarron Music Press, Gulfwind Music, and Treble C Music. His alphorn compositions and arrangements (including his most recent 2025 publications (Vol. 3, “Warmups and Simple Songs” and Vol. 4, “Compositions for Alphorn: Solos, Duos, Trios and Quartets”) are published by Treble C Music. he currently serves as Newsletter Editor for the Alphorn Association of North America.

“The alphorn connects us to the mountains, and the heritage of family – the sound of the wind through the passes, and the cows grazing on the hillsides and in the meadow – through the warmth of its’ sound, which bonds deep in the soul.”

  Dr. DeMers is a distinguished expert and performer of the Alphorn, celebrated for her authentic contributions to the field. With 35 years of college teaching experience, she has significantly influenced the academic and musical communities. Her recent publication, "The Little Alphorn," has emerged as a significant milestone in Alphorn music literature. Dr. DeMers' pioneering research, completed in 1992 with the support of Pro Helvetia, the Swiss cultural administrator, culminated in the first comprehensive history of the Alphorn in English. Her exceptional talent was further recognized when she achieved second place in the Champion Solo category at the 2022 International Cor des Alpes Competition in Nendaz, Switzerland, following her impressive top 10% ranking at her debut in 2017.

Dr. DeMers’ performances have spanned diverse venues, from the Anaheim Disney Oktoberfest alongside members of the Midwest Alphorn Retreat to being a guest artist at the 2006 Sigma Alpha Iota national event and the Swiss Embassy for the opening of the IMAX Eiger documentary. Since 1991, she has accumulated significant expertise in conducting clinics and workshops at various symposiums and organizations. Her achievements extend beyond performances, as she and her Alphorn graced the covers of notable publications, such as AAA Magazine and Minnesota American Traveler. 

In 2009, Dr. DeMers, alongside founder John Griffith, established the Midwest Alphorn Retreat, where up to 25 Alphornists gather each summer to immerse themselves in Alphorn culture and music. Participants from the Midwest Alphorn Retreat have showcased their talents at events across the United States, Canada, and Switzerland. Dr. DeMers’ collaborative efforts with the International Horn Society and the Midwest Alphorn Retreat have led to numerous performances and commissioned compositions for multiple keyed Alphorns, including A Noble Calling. Her performances are accessible on platforms like YouTube and the MSR Classics label. 

Beyond her Alphorn pursuits, she boasts a rich musical background, having served as principal horn in various orchestras and currently holding the position of principal horn in the Lake Charles (Louisiana) Symphony. She also served as faculty and guest artist at the Assisi Performing Arts Music Festival in Assisi, Italy 2004-2023. Her international experiences include being a member of the Spoleto Festival USA and the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, from 1993 to 1998, along with appearances as a guest artist and principal horn soloist at the Mezzogiorno Concert Series in collaboration with Gian Carlo Menotti’s Festival of Two Worlds, Spoleto, Italy.