Northern Illinois University
School of Music
College of Visual and Performing Arts

Renée Vogen

Instructor of Horn

Renée Vogen, a Chicago based freelance hornist and teacher, is third horn with the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra and Instructor of Horn at Northern Illinois University. 

Additionally, Renée performs regularly with ensembles all over the Midwest including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Elgin Symphony Orchestra. She has also been a frequent guest principal with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and Rockford Symphony Orchestra. Renée was previously second horn with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra (Ohio) and a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. 

Outside of her work in the Midwest, Renée has performed as a substitute musician with the New World Symphony, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. 

In January 2020, Renée was a teaching fellow at Youth Music Culture Guangdong alongside world-renowned musician Yo-Yo Ma. In 2012, she toured Italy with the Gil Evans Chamber Jazz Ensemble, a headlining group at the Umbria Jazz Festival, and studied German as a DAAD Summer Exchange Fellow at the Universität Potsdam. 

In addition to her position at NIU, she teaches Upper Brass Methods at DePaul University, and is a horn instructor for the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative and The People’s Music School. She has recently given masterclasses at Western Michigan University, Illinois State University, and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and has led a career seminar for the Eastman School of Music Horn Studio.

Renée holds a master’s degree in horn performance from DePaul University under the tutelage of James Smelser and a bachelor’s degree in horn performance, Performer’s Certificate, and Arts Leadership Certificate from the Eastman School of Music under the instruction of W. Peter Kurau.