About
al·loy
noun
1.a combination of metals to create a substance with improved metallic properties
verb
2. two or more metals mixed together to create a new metal with more desirable qualities
meet Alloy
​
The ALLOY Horn Quartet (LIZ DEITEMYER, ANNA JACOBSON, KELLY LANGENBERG, & DANA SHERMAN) is a fusion of artistry and advocacy whose appealing performances are powering their rise to the top of the chamber music scene. Equally comfortable in classical and contemporary genres, the quartet is at ease sharing its passion for music with audiences of all kinds. In addition to exceptional performing, Alloy offers charismatic dialogue to disarm the rigidity of a traditional classical music experience.
​
Alloy has been a Featured Artist at The International Horn Society’s 50th Symposium, Southeast Horn Workshop, and Mid-North Horn Workshop, and has also appeared as soloists playing Schumann’s virtuosic Konzerstück with orchestras such as the Kenosha Symphony (WI), Dubuque Symphony (IA), Tuscarawas Philharmonic (OH), and Fox Valley Orchestra (IL). The quartet is a regular guest at concert series around the Midwest, including Indy Summers in the Park (IN), Chicago Brown Bag Lunch Series, and Richland Concert Association (IA). As guest artists at universities, Alloy is committed to facilitating dialogues about modern careers in music with workshops focused on expanding and creating meaningful work in the arts.
When not performing as a quartet, the hornists of ALLOY can be found in Chicago's freelance orchestral scene and performing with the region's top orchestras. They have also played with well-known ensembles such as the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Philharmonic, Millar Brass Ensemble, Cleveland Orchestra, Elgin Symphony, Wisconsin Philharmonic, Arkansas Symphony, Omaha Symphony, and New Mexico Symphony. Non-symphonic appearances include bookings for Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Video Games Live!, Il Volo, Mannheim Steamroller, Boston Brass, and others.
As devoted educators, members of the quartet hold teaching positions at North Park University, Northern Illinois University, Old Town School of Folk, The Ravinia Reach*Teach*Play program, Sherwood Conservatory, The Music Institute of Chicago, and University of Illinois at Chicago.
​
Liz Deitemyer| Anna Jacobson |Kelly Langenberg | Dana Sherman
Liz Deitemyer
Liz Deitemyer is a Chicago-area hornist with a dynamic freelance career that takes her from the concert hall to the basement jazz club. She enjoys a wide variety of musical outlets, including recording with rock bands, developing interactive chamber music concerts, accompanying musicals, and playing classical literature in orchestral settings. Liz can also be seen on the narrow end of an alphorn at festivals and private events. Her most recent endeavors integrate horn playing with her education in clinical social work to use the power of music to affect personal, psychological, and social change.
Liz studied at Indiana University with Jeff Nelsen and Michael Hoeltzel. Shas held positions with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Stonegate Brass Quintet, and Second City Brass Quintet. She has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and appears regularly with regional orchestras throughout the Midwest including the South Bend Symphony, the Illinois Philharmonic, the Southwest Michigan Symphony, and the New Philharmonic. As an educator, Deitemyer is a frequent guest lecturer at high schools and colleges presenting on the topic of how to build a career in the arts. She has been a guest presenter at the Illinois MENSA chapter’s annual convention, presenting “From Seashells to Shiny Bells,” a story of how horns have evolved over the centuries. In 2020, she received a Masters Degree in Social Work from University of Illinois at Chicago's Jane Addams School of Social Work and currently has a part-time psychotherapy practice.
Anna Jacobson
Anna Jacobson is a Chicago-area musician with a diverse skill set. As a freelance horn player, she has performed with many local and regional ensembles, including the South Bend Symphony, Camerata Chicago, Illinois Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She was a member of the Lucerne Festival Academy for several summers, playing under the baton of Pierre Boulez. An active chamber musician, Anna is a founding member of the award-winning V3NTO Brass Trio, and a member of the Alloy Horn Quartet. She is also a folk musician and fiddler, winning the Midwest Fiddle and Banjo Championship in 2017. She plays and sings regularly with Chicago-based singer/songwriter Jonas Friddle, winner of the 2012 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Anna is also a member of theatrical rock 'n' roll marching band Mucca Pazza.
​
A dedicated educator, Anna is on faculty at the Old Town School of Folk Music, teaches horn students at an area high school, and is a registered Suzuki violin teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University, where she studied with James DeCorsey, and a Master of Music degree from DePaul University, where she studied with Jon Boen and Oto Carrillo.
Kelly Langenberg
Kelly Langenberg (M.M., DePaul University, B.M., B.M.E., Baldwin-Wallace University) is a classical musician and horn teacher recently transplanted from Chicago to the Florida Panhandle. Langenberg currently serves as Applied Faculty at Gulf Coast State College and is the Executive Director of the Bay Education Foundation in Panama City, FL. Kelly's "ferociously powerful" (International Trumpet Guild Journal, 2014) playing has been heard in orchestral and chamber music settings throughout the Midwest, including the Alliance Brass Quintet, the Alloy Horn Quartet, the Chicago Philharmonic, Wisconsin Philharmonic, the Dubuque, Kenosha, Northwest FL, Pensacola, Peoria, Lake Forest, Battle Creek, Elgin, Kalamazoo, Ars Viva!, Quad City, Yucatan (Mexico) Symphonies, the Cleveland Orchestra through their Kent/Blossom program, and with Josh Groban, Peter Gabriel, Il Volo, and others.
Kelly is currently pursuing a Doctorate at the University of IL Urbana-Champaign with Bernhard Scully and completed a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of IL at Chicago in 2018. Kelly's other primary teachers include Neil Kimel, Jon Boen, and Hans Clebsch. Langenberg is a Hans Hoyer USA Concert Artist and a Denis Wick Artist and Clinician.
Dana Sherman
Dana Sherman is an orchestral and chamber musician and educator based in Milwaukee. Dana holds positions as Principal Horn of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, Third Horn of the Wisconsin Philharmonic, and Third Horn of the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra. Dana previously held positions as Third Horn of the New Mexico Philharmonic and Acting Associate Principal Horn of the Omaha Symphony. In addition, she has performed several times with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Camerata Chicago. Dana has enjoyed her opportunities to travel and perform at several music festivals including the Grand Teton Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival in Japan, Sarasota Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Kent/Blossom Music Festival.
In addition to her performing experience, Dana enjoys teaching music to students of all ages. She teaches private horn lessons, early childhood music classes with the Whitefish Bay Recreation Department, and general music classes as a faculty member of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Dana received her Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance and Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she studied horn with Douglas Hill. She then went on to complete a Master of Music at Northwestern University, where she studied with Gail Williams, Bill Barnewitz, and Jon Boen.