Martin Hackleman
A Distinguished Career in Horn Performance and Education
Martin Hackleman began playing the horn at the age of sixteen, studying under Caesar LaMonaca in Houston. He later trained with renowned horn players Barry Tuckwell and Roland Berger (Vienna Philharmonic) while attending the University of Houston. At just 19, he won the Principal Horn Chair in the Calgary Philharmonic, where he performed for two seasons before joining the Vancouver Symphony as Solo Horn under Maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama in 1974, a position he held for nine years.
In 1983, Hackleman left Vancouver to join the internationally acclaimed Canadian Brass, contributing to the group’s success over three years. His tenure included seven recordings for CBS Masterworks—among them Brass in Berlin with the Berlin Philharmonic brass section—along with extensive international tours, a Canadian JUNO Award for Best Classical Recording, and the ensemble’s Hollywood Bowl debut. He also participated in the group’s first video release.
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Hackleman then joined the Empire Brass Quintet, a role that allowed him to balance ensemble work with solo performances and his passion for Vienna and Natural Horns. Over four years, he recorded five albums with the group.
A dedicated educator, Hackleman has published etude books—now in their third printing—used in institutions such as the Royal Conservatory in London and the University of Michigan. He has served as a juror for the Canada Council and held teaching positions at the University of Maryland, Boston University, and the University of British Columbia. His summers were often spent at the Banff Centre in Alberta, where he was a faculty member in both the Brass and Chamber Music programs. Additionally, he has given master classes at Juilliard, The Manhattan School, Curtis, and UCLA, among others. For four years, he coached the Asian Youth Orchestra, touring internationally. As a member of Summit Brass, he performed, recorded, and taught each summer. He also worked as a French horn design consultant for Yamaha.
In 1989, Hackleman returned to Vancouver, resuming his role as Principal Horn in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and serving as Adjunct Professor of Horn at UBC. In 1990, he helped launch CURIO, a nationally broadcast CBC Radio chamber music series featuring rare and overlooked compositions. During the 1999-2000 season, he played Principal Horn with the Montreal Symphony under Charles Dutoit and later performed as Guest Principal Horn with the Philadelphia Orchestra. His career also included engagements with the Chautauqua Orchestra at the Chautauqua Institute and the Waterloo Festival in Princeton, New York.
From 2000 to 2012, Hackleman served as Principal Horn in the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., while also performing as Solo Horn with the Washington Symphonic Brass, with whom he recorded four CDs. He continued his work at the Banff Centre alongside the All-Star Brass, a distinguished ensemble led by international trumpet soloist Jens Lindemann. Their collaboration produced four CDs and two live video concerts, available on YouTube.”
Following his tenure with the National Symphony, Hackleman joined the UMKC Conservatory of Music in Kansas City as Professor of Horn, a position he held until his retirement in 2022. He remains an active presence in the brass community, frequently appearing at international seminars. In Kansas City, he co-founded Legacy Horn Experience, a publishing company, with former student Steve Lewis.
Hackleman’s extensive recording career includes projects with the National Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Canadian Brass, Tidewater Brass, and Empire Brass. In 1996, he released two solo albums: one featuring his own horn arrangements with piano and string accompaniment and another showcasing five lost Romantic concertos with the CBC Vancouver Orchestra. Additional recordings include chamber music for two horns and bassoon (1996), a horn quartet Christmas album (1998), and a Brahms Horn Trio disc (2000). He has three new solo albums slated for release in the near future.
After a Dream
Solitary Hotel
AllStar Brass – ’09,’10, Toccata and Fugue
Canadian Brass – Vivaldi Four Season, Canadian Brass Christmas, Brass in Berlin, Canadian
Brass Live
Empire Brass – Gabrieli. Empire Brass in Japan, Fireworks, Class Brass, Joy to the World
Washington Symphonic Brass – Voices of Brass, Nielsen on Brass, The Edge, Dances With
Brass, Classic Rock, Home for the Holidays, Music for Organ and Brass
Summit Brass – Live, A Summit Brass Night
Corno Dulciana
Romanza
Tidewater Brass – Wilder About Brass, Tidewater Brass 1, 2, 3
Pacific Horns – Christmas Favorites for Four Horns
Vancouver Symphony – Pictures, The Planets, Rachmaninov, Respighi, Strauss, Tchaikovsky,
Franck, Christmas, Liszt, Orchestral Masterpieces
Montreal Symphony – Piazzola