About Connor
Connor is a graduate of Bentonville High School and has been studying piano since the age of 8 and horn since the age of 11. He has had the privilege of playing with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, NYO2, the National Youth Wind Ensemble of America, and has been accepted to multiple other programs such as the Eastern Music Festival and the Interlochen World Youth Symphony Orchestra.
He has also been accepted to some of the finest music institutions in the US such as The Juilliard School of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, UMKC Conservatory, and UNT College of Music.
Throughout his musical journey, he has achieved notable recognition, winning six competitions at the ASMTA State Piano Festival and being a finalist in the King's Peak International Music Competition. He has been honored as a recipient of awards such as the John Philip Sousa Award and the Harman Award, and the Robert M. Bright Award for Musical Excellence.
Connor has also studied with many horn professors around the US Including Bill VerMeulen, Eric Reed, Jeff Nelson, Gail Williams, MSG Shawn Hagen, Paul Stevens, Lanette Compton and many more.
In the summer of 2022, Connor had the privilege of playing 3rd horn in the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.
The program made its return to Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium in New York City and then embarked on a European tour that including debuts at the Ravello Festival on the Amalfi Coast in Italy and the Lucerne festival in Switzerland. The orchestra also performed at the Young Euro Classic festival at the Konzerthaus Berlin and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Under the baton of conductor Daniel Harding, the orchestra performed Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor and John Williams’s “Adventures on Earth,” from E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.
In February of 2022 Connor auditioned for the esteemed Juilliard School of Music with an undergrad in French Horn Performance.
He was notified of his acceptance and scholarship to Juilliard in late March.
In June of 2022 Connor had the honor of performing at Warner Theatre with the National Youth Wind Ensemble of America under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Jason Fettig, director of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band", and Dr. Kevin Sedatol, director of bands at Michigan State University. The ensemble had the privilege of working and connecting with the President's Own Marine Band in preparation for the performance.
In the summer of 2021, Connor rehearsed and performed with NYO2 at Purchase College in Westchester, New York. NYO2 performed Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis after Themes by Carl Maria von Weber and Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow in America under the direction of conductor Mei-Ann Chen. NYO2 also performed world premiere Side by Side by Molly Joyce, Juan Pablo Contreras's Mariachitlán, and Beethoven's Egmont Overture. The orchestra could not perform at Carnegie Hall that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic but the performance was recorded for the world to see
Connor has participated in the Northwest Arkansas All-Stars Jazz band for three years now working with world-famous musicians such as Bobby Watson, Alphonso Horne, Sammy Miller, and Conrad Herwig.
In the summer of 2023, Connor held the position of principal horn within the Interlochen World Youth Symphony Orchestra. The Interlochen orchestra program, renowned for its rigorous six-week training, immersed students in an intensive musical journey, providing them the invaluable opportunity to collaborate with a many seasoned professionals and conductors throughout the duration of the program.
