Horn Octet at TMEA

Dear colleagues,

It is my pleasure to bring greetings from the University of North Texas College of Music to the attendees at the 2026 Texas Music Educators Association Conference in San Antonio. Among the contributions of our College of Music to the conference program, we are pleased to highlight the performances of the Two O’Clock Lab Band, the Myriad Saxophone Quartet, and the Horn Octet that reflect so well the artistry, scholarship, and pedagogy of the UNT.

Led by Rob Parton, the Two O’Clock Lab Band continues a storied tradition as one of the nation’s premier collegiate jazz ensembles. The Myriad Saxophone Quartet, coached by Mikayla Peterson, exemplifies refined chamber musicianship and thoughtful collaboration. The Horn Octet, directed by Katherine McBain and Stacie Mickens, showcases the strength and depth of UNT’s outstanding horn program.

To all conference participants, I wish you an inspiring and rewarding experience filled with meaningful performances and professional connections. These ensembles bring to life the mission of the UNT College of Music to serve our diverse musical culture with excellence, integrity, and imagination.

Sincerely,

John W. Richmond, Ph.D.
Professor and Dean
College of Music
University of North Texas

Katherine McBain earned a DMA in Horn Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in 2008. She previously earned a Master of music degree from Eastman, a bachelor of arts in Music from the University of Houston, and a master of education in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Tyler. An active performer and recitalist, McBain has performed with various orchestras across the US, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Kalamazoo Symphony, Illinois Symphony, and the Round Top International Institute Festival Orchestra.  She performs regularly with several area orchestras including Texarkana Symphony Orchestra, Longview Symphony Orchestra, and the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra.  With an interest in new solo repertoire for horn, McBain has commissioned two new pieces, one of which, Mountain Sketches by Paul Johnston, won the International Horn Society Composition Contest in 2014.  She has taught at the University level since 2005, having held posts at Eastern Illinois University, Lamar University, Stephen F. Austin State University, University of Texas at Tyler, University of Rochester, and Nazareth College.

Stacie Mickens joined the UNT College of Music faculty as an associate professor of horn in August 2018. Prior to her appointment, she was associate professor at the Dana School of Music, Youngstown State University, and also previously served on the faculties of Luther College (Decorah, IA) and Winona State University (Winona, MN). She completed her doctorate of musical arts at the University of Michigan as a recipient of the Rackham Fellowship Award. There she studied with former Philadelphia Orchestra member and jazz musician Adam Unsworth and with Detroit Symphony member Bryan Kennedy. She holds a master of music degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied with renowned horn pedagogue Douglas Hill. She received a bachelor of arts degree in music and English from Luther College, studying horn with Patricia Brown and piano with John Strauss.  

As an orchestral musician, Mickens has performed with Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Plano Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Chamber Winds, Blossom Music Festival, Monarch Brass, Madison Symphony Orchestra, and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. She previously held positions in orchestras in Akron, Wheeling, Youngstown, Lansing, Dearborn, Southwest Michigan, La Crosse, Waterloo-Cedar Falls and Dubuque. She is currently principal horn of Richardson Symphony Orchestra.  

She has enjoyed solo performances with the UNT Wind Symphony, UNT Symphony Orchestra, UNT Concert Orchestra, Youngstown State University Wind Ensemble, Luther College Symphony Orchestra, Akron Symphony, Erie Young Artists’ Debut Orchestra, Packard Band and Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony. 

Mickens’ solo recorded album From the Great Lakes was released in 2020 and features new works composed for her by David Morgan and James Wilding. “Stacie Mickens’s playing is superb; her musicality has a sort of confidence that makes one feel entirely secure in her hands (give the precarious nature of the French horn, that’s no mean compliment). This is a most enjoyable disc, well recorded and presented.” – Fanfare Nov/Dec 2020. “Stacie Mickens…shows masterful control of her instrument throughout the CD, displaying the diverse sound quality of the horn with beautifully lyrical and melancholic playing…”– Brass Band World Dec 2020 

Mickens is a founding member of Lantana Trio with her colleagues Raquel Samayoa, trumpet, and Natalie Mannix, trombone. Lantana has commissioned works for brass trio by Jeff Scott, Ivette Herryman Rodriguez, Shanyse Strickland, Dorothy Gates, and Erik Morales. These works will be featured on Lantana Trio’s debut album to be released in 2022. The group will co-host the International Women’s Brass Conference at UNT May 24-28, 2022. 

As a young musician, Mickens participated in drum and bugle corps and marching arts activities. She was a member of Star of Indiana’s Brass Theater, world champion Cadets and Colts.