Based in Baltimore, Maryland, Sydney Ballensky is a horn player and music teacher currently serving as an Upper Brass and Musicianship Teaching Artist at Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids program. Growing up in Indiana, Sydney began playing the horn at 10 years old, motivated by her horn player sister, Sam. From there, she found continuous inspiration from her horn teachers Kent Leslie and Gail Lewis, driving her to professionally pursue horn playing and music education. Sydney began teaching beginning horn students during her final year of high school and has continued to do so today. In 2023, she received her Bachelor of Music degree in Horn Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University Bloomington, studying with Jeff Nelsen. During her time at Jacobs, Sydney participated in a plethora of ensembles, ranging from wind ensembles and orchestras to various chamber groups and even playing in a big band rotation. Additionally, she was a member of both the Conductor’s Orchestra and the Harmonie Octet, ensembles used as pedagogical tools for student conductors. Sydney is committed to providing equitable access to the same rich musical education she was given from an early age. Outside of music, she enjoys hiking, baking, and spending time with her cat, Panda.