Born in the Chicago area, Jesse Clevenger comes from a musical family of horn players.
From the age of four he began piano studies and vocal studies. He started on the trumpet when he was ten years old and switched over to the horn three years later because he was drawn to its rich, noble, and emotional sound. He also noticed the special treatment the horn receives from his favorite symphony and film composers.
Jesse was lucky enough to attend a great public high school, New Trier, with a renowned music program that received a Grammy Signature School award during his time as a student there. Jesse remembers, with deep gratitude, rehearsing Beethoven’s 7th Symphony and then walking off to physics class around the corner. He also played in the Midwest Young Artists Youth Symphony and toured South and Central America with the Chicago Youth Symphony.
In his days of study at the Jacobs School of Music and the Shepherd School of Music, Jesse enjoyed working with the natural horn to better understand the historical performance practice of the instrument. The particular techniques required to master the natural horn, or hand horn, and it’s special tonality-based sound, continue to influence Jesse’s understanding of the the instrument’s demands and its developing role throughout the history of orchestral and chamber music from Bach to Britten.
He joined the San Francisco Symphony in 2023 as Acting Third/Assistant Principal Horn and for eight seasons has been the Sun Valley Music Festival’s Assistant Principal. Previously, he was the Houston Symphony’s Interim Assistant Principal for seven seasons. Mr. Clevenger has appeared as a guest performer with the Chicago Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and as guest Principal of the Baltimore, San Jose, and Toledo Symphonies. Additionally, he has participated in numerous festivals including Tanglewood, Spoleto, and Bravo! Vail. He received a BM in Horn Performance from Indiana University and a MM from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.
Mr. Clevenger recently made his concerto debut in Toluca, México performing the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante as a featured soloist with the Orqeusta Sinfónica del Estado de México. He’s looking forward to performing Britten’s Serenade for Horn, Tenor, and Strings in the fall of 2025 with the Vallejo Symphony.
A dedicated educator, he currently maintains a horn studio at Stanford University. Additionally, he has given masterclasses at several schools in Houston and around the USA. During the summer he teaches privately via the Sun Valley Music Festival.
He is eternally grateful to his late parents, Alice Render and Dale Clevenger, who were his early instructors in music. Jesse cherishes memories of them standing over him at the piano, driving him and his brother to choir practice and taking them to symphony concerts. Jesse’s parents also taught him about horn performance, playing horn trios at home and giving him much needed tips while he practiced in the basement. Jesse feels connected to both of them every time he breathes into his horn.
When not playing the horn, Jesse likes to walk his dog Olive and read literature, history, psychology and poetry. Also, one of the great attractions that comes with symphony life for him is traveling the world.