Biography:

Michigan native Karlee Kamminga is a horn player in the United States Air Force Heartland of America Band, stationed at Offutt AFB, NE. 

As a performer, Karlee is a frequent guest with the Omaha Symphony and has extensive experience playing in orchestras across Massachusetts, Michigan, and Montana. Karlee is a member of NU CORNO horn ensemble, which presents multiple new commissions each year at International Horn Society (IHS) symposiums and workshops. Recently, Karlee performed the American premiere of Kerry Turner’s Pro Memoria on a featured artist recital at IHS 56 in Hermann Baumann’s honor with NU CORNO. While living in Boston, her woodwind quintet was invited to perform Yehudi Wyner’s Into the Evening Air on a Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Prelude Concert after being coached by the composer. 

An in-demand clinician, Karlee has presented master classes and seminars at universities across the Midwest with USAF Offutt Brass Quintet. Additionally, she’s maintained a private studio of middle and high school horn students since 2019 despite cross-country moves. In 2023, Karlee was selected by New England Conservatory (NEC) and Carnegie Hall to present their LinkUp curriculum to multiple K-5 classrooms in Boston. While a student at NEC, she was a teaching fellow providing group and private lessons to underserved students in Boston Public Schools and El Sistema programs. Karlee currently serves on the All-State adjudicating committee for the Nebraska State Bandmasters Association. 

Prior to joining the USAF band, Karlee worked for the BSO as the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) Coordinator. In this role, she oversaw all faculty and guest artists of the TMC, managed concerts, assisted with housing and payroll, and served as the main point-of-contact for high profile musicians, including Emanuel Ax, Joan Tower, and Dawn Upshaw. Her passion for arts admin continues in the Air Force, where she is the social media director for the band. Presently, Karlee is on the Artistic Advisory Committee for the IHS 57 Symposium in June 2025. 

Karlee completed her Master of Music degree in Horn Performance at New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) in 2023, graduating with academic honors. Her primary teacher was BSO 2nd horn, Rachel Childers, and she received extensive coaching from Gus Sebring and the entire BSO horn section. While at NEC, Karlee also served as the brass department graduate assistant. In 2021, she graduated Magna Cum Laude and with membership in Pi Kappa Lambda from Western Michigan University (WMU), where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Horn Performance under Dr. Lin Foulk-Baird. Prior to WMU, Karlee studied with Dr. Paul Austin of the Grand Rapids Symphony & President Emeritus of ICSOM.

A French speaker, Karlee also minored in French while at WMU studied abroad in Lyon, France during the summer of 2019. She lived with a host family and took intense courses in French language and culture at the Université Catholique de Lyon. When not playing horn, Karlee can be found in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes, being a childless cat lady, and shoe shopping!