Jacob Bodnar

Title: Instructor, French Horn
Dept/Program: Music Institute
Phone: 330-972-7949
Email: jab497@uakron.edu

Biography

Jacob Bodnar is a Northeast Ohio based horn performer and educator. He has performed with the Mansfield Symphony, Central Ohio Symphony, Tuscarawas Philharmonic, Wooster Symphony Orchestra, Suburban Brass, and served as the alternate horn for the 2024-25 season for The Orchestra Next in Eugene, OR. He also performs in various groups with the American Federation of Musicians in the area. A passionate pit musician, Jacob spends his summers performing with the Ohio Light Opera, where he can be heard on DVD recordings of Noël Coward’s Bittersweet, and George and Ira Gershwin’s Tip-Toes. Jacob has also participated in both solo and chamber recitals with members of the OLO Orchestra.  Previous shows he has performed in include Amahl and the Night Visitors, Once Upon a Mattress, Big! The Musical, and Oklahoma!. As an educator, Jacob teaches students of all ages and has had students win positions in area youth orchestras. Jacob holds a master's in music from the University of Akron, where he was the graduate assistant for the horn studio, a Bachelor of Arts in Music, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Ashland University. Jacob’s horn teachers include Kiirsi Maunula Johnson, Michael Metcalf, Alan Demattia, and Sean Yancer.