Meet the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
ORCHESTRA ROSTER
French Horns
Karl Pituch was named Principal Horn of the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra in 2000. In 1988, he finished as one of the top five hornists
at the 37th International Music Competition in Munich, Germany. Pituch
was the grand prizewinner at the 1989 American Solo Horn Competition
and has been a finalist at many other solo competitions.
Before joining the DSO, Pituch was Associate Principal Horn with
the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Principal Horn with the Honolulu
Symphony Orchestra, the Jacksonville Symphony, the Colorado Music
Festival Orchestra and the Chautauqua Festival Orchestra. He served as
a guest Principal Horn for the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the
Edinburgh Music Festival in Scotland and at the Hollywood Bowl. He also
served as guest Principal Horn with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
on their European Tour in 2004 and the Grand Teton Festival Orchestra
in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Pituch can be heard on many recordings with the
Dallas, San Francisco and Honolulu Symphony Orchestras.
As a soloist, Pituch has performed with orchestras in Japan,
Hawaii, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Ohio, Florida and Michigan. He
has been a frequent guest artist at numerous horn conferences and has
served as a judge in the American Horn Competition. An active chamber
musician, Pituch was a member of the Spring Wind Quintet for 11 years
and participated in chamber music festivals in Marlboro, Vt.; Crested
Butte, Colo.; Kapalua, Maui; Kazusa, Japan (with the Center City Brass
Quintet); and Freden, Germany (with the American Horn Quartet).
Pituch earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Toledo
where he studied with Mary Kihslinger. He also studied with Froydis
Wekre of the Oslo Philharmonic and Dale Clevenger of the Chicago
Symphony. For seven years, he was the horn instructor at the University
of Hawaii.