Jennifer Dodson Galvan – Full Article
August 2026
Jennifer Dodson Galvan, Principal French Horn
Welcome to High Notes!
My name is Jennifer Dodson Galvan and I have been playing horn in the San Luis Obispo Symphony since 2003. I had just finished my Masters in Music and received a phone call from Jane Swanson asking to sub for her for Pops by the Sea and a concert with the SLO Symphony and Garrison Keillor, while she enjoyed London with her husband Cliff Swanson. I had just finished my Masters of Music in Horn Performance at the University of Colorado, Boulder and was planning on visiting home for a short time before returning to Colorado to freelance. In January 2004, I returned to California to teach Horn at Cuesta College and Cal Poly while trying to navigate the performing opportunities in the Los Angeles and Bay Area. I officially joined the Symphony horn section in 2004 when the 3rd chair spot opened up for that season. Jane and I shared the principal horn spot for several years and I have been principal since September of 2012.
Born and raised on the Central Coast, I loved singing, piano, and ballet. When my older brother, Jon, joined the elementary band on horn with Botso Korishelli, I tried buzzing and making sounds on the horn. When it was time to join the band in 5th grade, Dr. Korishelli encouraged me to play the horn as well. My final decision to play horn was made after my mom pointed out the horns while listening to the original Star Wars soundtrack. The parts that the horn played were heroic and romantic! I knew I wanted to play music like that some day.
As a Freshman at Morro Bay High School in 1988, I met Andy Hardin, a retired band director from Oklahoma that volunteered to help out the hornists and Mr. Sando (music director) at MBHS Band in preparation for our trip to Carnegie Hall. After Carnegie Hall, Andy offered me private lessons and he encouraged me to play in the Horn Club with Jane Swanson and other members of the horn community. After placing 1st Horn, 3rd chair in the top band of the California All-state Honor band my senior year in high school, I attended CSU Fresno to study horn with Dr. Thomas Hiebert and Dr. James Winter. While attending CSU Fresno, I auditioned and was accepted to the Rafael Mendez Brass Institute aka ”Summit Brass” and at Aspen Music Festival. I attended Aspen for 3 summers studying with David Wakefield of the American Brass Quintet and several well known brass coaches. During my last summer at Aspen, I had the opportunity to study with my idol, Vince De-Rosa for a few weeks which transformed my playing!
After finishing my Teaching Credential at CSU Fresno in 1999, I luckily received a full ride scholarship to the University of Colorado, Boulder where I completed my MM in Horn Performance. While at CU, I studied horn with Dr. David Pinkow, and Michael Thornton (Principal Horn of the Colorado Symphony). While in the Denver Metro area, I was an active free-lance hornist with the Central City Opera, Centennial Philharmonic, Opera Colorado, Colorado Symphony, Boulder Ballet, and many more.
I moved back to California to marry my college sweetheart, Santino “Sonny” Galvan. In 2006, I was offered a teaching position as an Elementary Music Specialist for San Luis Coastal Unified School District teaching General Music and Beginning Band classes. In 2008, Sonny got a job teaching Middle School Band in Paso Robles, CA and joined the San Luis Obispo Symphony when the Bass Trombone chair opened up in 2009. In 2012, we welcomed our baby girl Emmaline Maria Galvan and in 2015 we bought a house in Atascadero. I am grateful for the opportunities that have fallen in my lap that brought me back home to the Central Coast. I can’t imagine raising our daughter anywhere else…When I am not playing horn or teaching school, I am walking my dog Ranger, carpooling Emmaline to and from activities with her friends, trying to find time to read books, and exploring new recipes in my kitchen!