FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Katy Ambrose as assistant professor of music in horn, effective Aug. 1.
Ambrose previously was faculty at the University of Iowa and taught at the University of Virginia. During summers, she teaches at the Bay View Music Festival Brass Seminar in Petoskey, Michigan, and will be on faculty for the Interlochen Horn Intensive in June.
An avid chamber musician, Ambrose is a member of Mirari Brass Quintet, Lanta Horn Duo, and Conica natural horn quartet and was a founding member of Seraph Brass. She has been featured at the International Women’s Brass Conference, Virginia Arts Festival, Historic Brass Society, and the International Trombone Festival and is a regular performer and presenter for the International Horn Society. She was recently elected to the society’s advisory board and serves on the editorial committee for its journal, The Horn Call.
“Katy Ambrose possesses a vast array of superior qualifications: in the classroom, onstage and beyond,” said Abra Bush, David Henry Jacobs Bicentennial Dean. “We very much look forward to her sharing them with our students at the Jacobs School of Music.”
Ambrose has held orchestral positions with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra and more. She has also performed as a substitute with numerous orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Pops and Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, among others. She has performed on natural horn with numerous ensembles, among them Philharmonie Austin, Madison Bach Musicians and Seattle Baroque Orchestra. Outside of orchestral music, highlights include performing with Adele on her 2016 world tour and recording jingles for the Super Bowl.
Ambrose has been named a University of Iowa “Champion for Student Success” three times, a student-nominated honor, and is a 2025-26 research fellow at the George Washington Presidential Library, where she is studying the musical life of Washington’s enslaved huntsman, William Lee.
“The Brass Department is very excited to have Dr. Ambrose join us,” said Joey Tartell, department chair. “The wealth of experience she brings as a teacher and a performer will be invaluable to our students.”