A special Horn Hangout in tribute to Dale Clevenger on the day of his farewell concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Sarah Willis in Berlin talks to Dale and many of his friends and colleagues live from Chicago and also around the world. June 10th, 2013
Transcript
Auto-generated from the live stream, expect the occasional robot mishearing.
Have such a special horn hangout for you today I’m sitting all by myself here in Berlin and in Chicago it’s a huge party and um as you can see this party is taking place right now hey you guys Dale you there are you ready as you know today is it’s yes exactly you can hold Court Dale tell us what’s going on and what all these people are doing there well
Muti and the administration and the orchestra wanted to give me a a sendoff concert a uh an appreciation concert I told them and it wasn’t necessary and they said yes it is we’re going to do it and excuse me we’ve been planning this now since February I didn’t I don’t know much of what’s what’s going on except what
I’m supposed to do I just get lit around by the nose and in this concert I’m I’m only conducting not playing I thought that might be a little too emotional to to do it I had to make a decision yeah how many horn players are actually there because all you horn hangout friends out there you’re going to meet everyone who’s in the room um but we have you have a whole load of other players there today as well an excess of 60 wow not bad well we could we could have a hangout for like five hours and get everybody on but you guys um we’ll
We’ll see all you guys in a second so thanks for coming in and saying hi you you may take your places I feel a little bit like a a ring Master today we’ve never done a horn hangout with so many people before so this is this is all very spontaneous um you you know Dave and Odo Dave forth
Thorn Odo assistant first and utility both of you thank you so much for joining us too you’ve been part of Dale section for many years and Dave huge thank you to you for organizing all this you you’ve been fantastic we’ve made a we’ve made a hangout a monster out of you since the lwh horn hangout haven’t we great well this is such a fun day for us the first thing
I have to do is give a ceremonial box of Kleenex to Dale so here’s the I think you’re gonna need him Dale today because we’ve got a lot of a lot of people who have want to say a lot of nice things about you and what’s going on on the chat we have people from the states we have people from
Sweden we have people from Italy we have people all over and they are writing in their tributes as we speak and you’ll be getting a copy of this as soon as the as soon as the Hangouts finished so you can see where everybody is watching from because there’s loads of them out there so you guys get your tributes down
Dale will be reading them all so please please get writing so um Dale uh how are you feeling today stupid question but ask tell me anyway it is such a ar ar range of emotions that’s difficult to to describe it’s obviously the the general timing of this in my life is Bittersweet but and I have so many wonderful things to look forward to why do you say it’s bittersweet
I’m gonna tell you because I have a new wife of eight months since she there she want to come and say hi she’s right over here come and say hi javanna 10 mon 10 months sorry not a good counter you want to come over and say hi come and say hi this is joavan grai from Gago which is near hello love to see you
Italy and we have h a home together there my home her home partly mine now too and uh as she has part ownership in my house here in Chicago and together we’re going to have a house of some kind in Bloomington we have to establish residence yeah and so joavan is here for this week and uh going to play tonight in the in the group uh so so that’s just one one thing that’s the good thing that’s the good thing about this is that means you’ll have more time to spend with her but
I don’t believe for a minute that you are going to stop and just do nothing you’re not going to go and do the gardening are you no I am graduating from the Chicago Symphony but I am not retiring from music hooray I’m I’m getting out there believing it or not I’m getting invitations to for master classes to teach at conservatories and conducting opportunities fantastic they’re already coming in
I have to decide what what I can do based upon how much time we need to be together and then the whatever I will be doing in Indiana and I’m still teaching four students here at Roosevelt for as long as the foreseeable future as long as I can I don’t know how much I can run around and do all this but you know the body sounds it sounds tiring already javanna thank you so much thanks for joining us see you later have a great concert but
Dale today see you later ah good yeah there some but Dale today is more about um what you have done and what you’ve given to the horn World um over the past 48 years you’ve been principal horn is that right it’s 47 and a half at this point okay 47 and a half um Odo tell me when you started in the in the
Chicago Symphony um you you know you started playing with this huge Legend what are your some of your your best memories of hey there’s Sue back there as well hi hey great to see you thanks for joining us ot’s gonna tell us his favorite memory if you have one please come out with yours we only want the clean ones though here none of the drunken after concert stories today well uh
I think the one I can remember is actually playing where you are right now the Berlin Phil um I think we started our tour uh with Brookner 4 and it was the tour that started in September so we hadn’t played all summer at all and so I’ve been practicing the assistant part for Brookner 4 which is basically the first horn part and um you know in case
Dale wasn’t going to be able to play you know in a daydream situation I’d have to play it but nightmare pieace for the first tour not to show up right well he did he was there but I had been practicing this part All Summer Long thinking about how Dale would sound how Dale would want to phrase things and as we all know
Dale has an unmistakable sound in character and his playing that’s pretty IR you know you can’t um reproduce that so I was playing it all summer long and then the very first rehearsal the very first note that we did was the the first horn solo and I think my mouth just you know fell off I couldn’t believe how amazing it sounded because
I had heard my own sound all summer long and then I heard Dale sound and just thought to myself well good thing he’s there good thing healthy and he’s going to play that and I I’ve never heard him uh missed that note I’ve never heard him play it uh less than amazing so I have missed it before but
I’ve never even tried it I didn’t think actually the first rehearsal we ever did it with wallenstein he gave me a beat instead of a very simple beat like that he gave me a beat like that and I miss in the concert he called me in and apologized for conducting it that way I couldn’t believe a conductor would apologize for right well yeah
I’m sure he learned a lesson out of that one so you’re not how would you give the the downbeat for when you’re going to conduct bookor don’t even look at the horn no you know Simon Simon Rattle says horn players are like stuntmen and you shouldn’t eyeball them before they’re about to fall to certain death or possible death wrong well interestingly enough one rehearsal we had uh
Dale did not show up for Brookner 4 it was with Von and I did have to play just a rehearsal on on first turn which was it was a few years ago I hope he paid lots of beers for the for for you for doing that that’s that’s a nightmare I remember when I was in Chicago and
I got to play with you guys for that month I’ll never forget it was such a highlight for me and I was bumping you for for Chik five Dale and it was out at rinia and I everybody in America means a assistant assistant sorry sorry bumping assistant sorry sorry assistant um and uh and the strings were playing their chords and
I was sure you’d gone to sleep I was sure you’d gone to sleep and I you were just so peaceful and I was counting and I thought he’s not GNA play he’s not g to play he’s not going to play and at the last second you picked up your horn and I was I almost my heart almost stopped everybody many of these stories are gonna get romanticized
I think well isn’t that that’s what today’s all about we’re putting we’re putting everything out there how we remember it to be and in in 50 Years it’ll be the biggest Legends ever Odo I know you’ve got to go anything else that you um that you can share about Dale everybody’s gonna say their own story I just wanted to tell
Dale thank you for everything he’s taught me almost everything I know on the horn an and music and he’s been a wonderful figure for us um he’s he’s like a family member so oh oh thanks thanks bye everybody in the world of horn bye bye have fun see you later have a great time tonight at the concert thanks thanks thanks
Dave you’ve been in the orchestra for a while too yeah I feel so lucky to have played uh these last 18 years with Dale and I have been you know witnessing his incredible original Artistry all these years um the the first part of the 20th century is very well documented with recordings and I can say is fact that no one sounded like
Dale uh before he joined the Chicago Symphony and once he started on the job and the world uh got to know his play he was a sensation and uh another way to measure his original Artistry is that so many of his horn players have emulated his style and his sound and have tried to do what he does that’s a really sign of a great originality um
I was very fortunate to take horn lessons with Dale it was an amazing combination of of him focusing on fundamentals and pointing out some less than helpful habits he always talked about smooth fluid lines uh so they were really tremendously helpful lessons and then I would go downtown and hear Dale play these stunning performances of the Galant dances mer one
Brookner 7 so it was at the same time such incredible inspiration and I’ve had the chance to sit in the section with him and um after I played with Dale a couple years I said to dale dale you never seem worried about anything and he he looked me in the eye and said David I’m a very good actor well all
I can say is yes you are because uh um he always approaches uh the job whether it be a single phrase or a piece of music or an entire concert uh thinking what are the possibilities here I never sent from Dale what could go wrong it’s more about what are the possibilities to make beautiful music so it really has been incredible treat for me to get to work with him oh thank you
Dave you’re going to need your own kleenexes now I have the feeling yeah thank you Dave and and Dan Dan Ginger how absolutely fantastic to see you thanks for joining us hi sah you’re part you’re part of this big extravagan can tell us about the arrangement you’ve done for tonight oh uh we’re doing the uh Mozart third concerto for horn 447 and uh
I just thought we would use it as a vehicle for featuring the entire horn section and since there are five of us without Dale uh I we thought we’d uh just chop it up into pieces and we’re covering the Wind Parts also so the audience will hear plenty of horn sonority and who’s conducting there is a conductor yes
I knew that I just thought I thought we put it out there that’s that’s gonna amazing I hope someone’s filming this um maybe under the radar under the radar okay well I’m sure there’ll be some mobile phones out there Dan what can you tell can you what can you tell us about Dale you you two have been colleagues for a long time we have it’s been my privilege to uh play in the same section with
Dale for the bulk of my life and uh unfortunately for Dale it’s been uh he’s spent the majority of of his life playing with me too um actually I I didn’t want to come and listen to the sound of my own voice I brought a picture from the old days now have you have you we have we have the picture it’s a good time to show the picture because somebody in the pictures just joined us
Norm schwier you spent over 30 years as d as Dale second horn can can we can you see it up on on screen now the photo can you see it yes it is there tell us what you’re seeing tell us what we’re seeing what a hair do wow you remember that night just had to be in Tokyo correct when we did the conert stook and her must have done something along with it because s is introducing us and many in the
Brash section and is that you all at black Air yes you don’t remember the second half of the program no h oh yes we played the concert stook and Bo was I thinner then you had a lot of hair as well by the looks of things yeah there was another celebration that with s is that the one we did withon with
S I don’t know I I thought you’d remember how many restaurants we went to Oh that’s oh yes we went restauranta restaurant hopping yeah say you just wanted to go different places it’s fantastic wow yeah how many did you hit that night at least three oh at least three you can remember yeah that’s right Dan thank you so much for bringing that in that’s that’s really incredible
I don’t know if it’s still up on the screen or not I can’t really tell from here it it is it still is okay so thanks Tim you can um we my wonderful Web Master Tim who everybody knows um in the horn World he’s staying up very late it’s 4 4:15 in the morning and uh thank you so much
Tim we’ll get him on and thank him from all of us at the end um Dan thank you for bringing that in that’s an amazingly historical photo yes great how often did you guys play the concert stick together well five or six times at least yeah at least many times half a dozen times Norm welcome welcome thank you this is your very first horn hangout
I think we’re going to have to have you on one of your own you have so many Fantastic stories to tell how many years exactly it was way over 30 wasn’t it were you were you Dale’s second horn well I uh played assistant to him from 1971 to 75 then I became second horn until 98 and then
I retired and then I come back you know until 06 and played the extra and substitute in the section you know when they use eight horns for something Elden laen or Brooker seven and all this stuff and it was it was wonderful my goodness what’s it like what’s it like as a second horn to Dale Clevenger I mean
I I when I was with you guys I did I did uh assistant um not bumping um I never actually played second toale do you have to count a lot well yes of course you have to have lot you have to you have to pay attention to what his style is and how long he hold certain notes and you just become a second
Dale he was like fly paper yeah stick to Y right all the times guys were you’re an amazing rarely ever talked about what we did we just did you know I probably drove him crazy with my different things each each concert but uh he was did he drive you crazy Norm no he didn’t drive me crazy not at all
I was in Rochester Rochester philarmonic you know before that 1950 5 to to 66 and played different horn Parts there with ver Reynolds and Morris secon and that was a tremendous uh experience too and then I went to Interlocken and was there five years and uh then I came here toh 71 so what what are your tips going to be for retirement for
Dale keep busy stay busy find things to do no problem write a book you know I’ve written write a book horns of Valla Saga of the writer brothers and they were very important horn players from Bavaria in the 1880s and Zer the younger brother came to join the Boston Symphony as first horn and then his brother came ysep three years later in ’ 89 and joined the
Met Opera as first horn and they moved around ysep was a very first horn player in the Philadelphia Orchestra 19001 191 and they just so you’re saying Dale should write a book about this I think he should write a book book about you guys no well you can write about anything he wants Norman got the history of of the very earliest horn playing in
America which basically came from Germany yeah and and Czechoslovakia was R yanii was a little bit later yeah right I think I think we’ll do another horn hangout on that because that’s totally fascinating and I think we’re GNA get you guys on a horn hangout about that you’re Dale you’re going to have so much time now we can do horn
Hangouts every week um but but we have so many people waiting to talk to you and I’m on a little bit of a schedule right now because there’s where’s Dan gone I wanted to thank him for coming by you disappeared Dan where’ you go thank you okay thank thank you for coming now Dale the wonders of modern technology means that there is someone who wanted to be here today who can’t be it’s like when you get an
Oscar you know and and and someone gives the the speech we have have someone who’s rehearsing in Maryland right now who wanted to be there now Tim I I wonder if you can you can get us in there right now um there’s somebody there who’s doing a rehearsal of helden laen and would just like to say hello now if this works
I’m just going to blab until I see this little window open and if we’re lucky it’ll open and you will see somebody you know and love and if it doesn’t happen then I’ll probably feel very stupid but um we’ll do the best hey John a trumpet player is on the hangout hey good to see you um so until we until we um we get you whoever this might be on the camera um the next we’ll have a couple more guests um
Greg and Jeff where are you guys this is a little bit it’s a little hello like the school mistress here it’s a it’s ah okay well you guys just have to um we are hi how you doing I don’t know I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there live but I wouldn’t miss this for a million a million bucks
I just have to it’s great to be here and honor you I know you’d be here I had a blast in Houston about a month and a half ago oh made my life and hope to go back again my son will be there with you I’ll take good care of him yeah great but I just wanted to tell everyone who’s listening how much you’ve meant to me uh for those of you who don’t know
I’ve been championing this man since I was 10 years old I first heard him play when I was 10 and I had only played the horn about three weeks or four weeks then and I went up to him and he said let me check your ambusher and so he put his mouthpiece on my lips and from then on he said if you practice maybe someday you’ll study with me and someday you’ll be a very fine horn player and
I did just that I uh I practiced and did everything he said I’ve I’ve always tried to do what he wants because he has been and always shall be my hero and I just uh I just can’t thank you enough for the Legacy you’ve created for all of us for the inspiration you’ve provided for the Artistry you’ve shown and uh the the only way
I can think uh to show you musically is to take the entire brass section from the noi and have them come here and give you a proper touch so guys here we go [Music] Bravo we were in the middle of of coaching a helden they’ been sectional here and we were thrilled to be a part of your day and
I can’t wait to hear more about it and just visit with you again in the future tell the Brad section that I said do what you tell him all right I’ll do that thank you Bill thank you so much for joining us and thank you for your BR section hey guys thanks so much for joining in it was for setting this up have a great rehearsal see you later thank you bye bye bye isn’t that amazing the wonders of modern technology amazing amazing do you give tushes in
Germany we do give tush means something’s totally different in America doesn’t it well I know that tush is probably rear end in H in German but I don’t know the origin of the word when they say it here it means some something very very special rather spontaneous which is usually decided by the principal brass I don’t know if it comes any from anybody else but uh we have a tush and de du we always have a tush and
D I don’t know why we we always do it in D but it’s always in D probably do in E threat oh really okay okay well that’s good to know Greg welcome Greg rusa second horn um La fonic great to see you um you were a student of Dales right I was and I have to say it started off
I owe him uh all the uh recognition for making me play the horn I remember hearing that chovy’s Fifth Symphony with recording with him with with SI zawa and uh just moved me and I thought that’s that’s what I want to sound like that’s how I want to um meet someday and it seemed like it just these travels through time uh finally got me up to
Chicago to study with him privately and um work through played in the Civic Orchestra and just kept you know trying to emulate you and and uh always kind of go back to what I learned and and uh um i’ to say some of the most amazing times were when I actually got to sit and play assistant him in the
Chicago Symphony and uh that was worth a hundred lessons just to sit there and listen to him play and watch him produce this wonderful music and it’s just um always with me never never forget thanks and you’ve come all the way from La for today right I wouldn’t miss it wouldn’t miss it amazing thanks thanks and Jeff
Nelson next to Dale hey good to see you again you’re a a favorite face in our horn hangout lands um Fearless Jeff right yes and I mean trying to think of a story about Dale when I first met him as a Canadian I couldn’t believe I was near him as a hero my whole life and I I was having trouble starting notes and playing in any way and was very stuck and
I just remember him getting me into musical thought dictates technique and into the music and into things way better and that’s where all my Fearless stuff is is based on is that things and it came from Dale so and now we get you guys you guys are gonna be working together a lot now yes you call it work we get to mess with
I mean teach and guide young minds and yeah I got to work with Jesse for four years great Jess there too we’ll get Jesse on in a minute too yeah um it’s just so great it’s just must must be an amazing feeling today and and Chicago Hall Symphony Hall I just I wish I could be there and there’s someone else who wishes who he could be there he may be asleep because it’s very very late where he is but somebody else is waiting to say hi to
Dale if he’s not asleep um Tim you in there yeah can we invite the next guest in uh who would also like to say hi and and thank you to Dale for for how he he inspired him um are we out there somewhere this could take a few seconds okay here we go let’s see who’s here Fearless
Jeff right yes and I’m mean trying to think of a story about Dale when I first met him as a comedian I couldn’t believe hey guys Jonathan is on he’s watching on the on the website he has to turn off the website if you turn off the website Jonathan he’s muted oh wait am I am I okay now yes you’re on oh there you go hey how are you
I got I got to tell Jonathan I got to introduce you because you haven’t been on a horn hangout Jonathan Hamill is principal horn in the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Jonathan Hamill is um responsible for all touring horn players in Tokyo is that true you were responsible for our entertainment uh for most for most touring groups for sure he knows extremely well yes you’ve gone to a lot of nice places huh plenty yeah how are you my friend great how are you doing amazing yeah this is pretty pretty incredible well you know
I what’s that I say it is it’s h I’ve never experienced this before I know this is completely like just as Sarah’s been saying like modern technology at its best all these people coming in and it’s just truly wild but so congratulations an unbelievable career and like you said earlier it’s really kind of sad I mean I can’t believe that you’re not gonna be the
Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony from now on but but on a on another note another side it’s it’s amazing this this opportunity here uh going to teach at uh University of Indiana and it sounds like hopefully you’re going to have some chances to come back to Japan and do some more master classes and teaching and playing and hopefully
I really hoping I can get you to do some type of conducting at some point over here with either the orchestra or or a big Ensemble or whatever I can do but I’m definitely looking forward to it but much easier to play that’s a little bit of pressure I don’t know I don’t know if I’ll be up for that but so anyway there’s lots of people that want to talk to you so
I just wanted to say hello and congratulations and uh all the best how would you say that in Japanese uh I would say and yes always see it’s 3:30 a.m right here here right now so I gota and I have a little rehearsal in the morning so I I better think about heading off but what what happened to your hair
J what happened to your hair we had a trial hangout earlier on earlier on in the evening and Jonathan looked totally different yeah I know my my invite just came so soon didn’t have a chance to put on the wig but I was going to pop up in this and let you try to guess who I was at first and then the the thing came too fast so
I didn’t have a chance to do it but darn wig wig or no wig you knew who I was hey today gone tomorrow what’s that hair today gone tomorrow sorry that’s a Stefan yski quote nice one uh anyway as as in closing here as Bill Rin said you inspired me from a little kid the first time time
I heard your Mozart horn conto tape we didn’t have CDs in that time uh it changed my life it was it I mean I have really if I wouldn’t have heard that tape and I wouldn’t have had my first lessons with you in Florida thanks to Carolyn wall who I know you know very well uh at like age 15 uh
I would have nothing right now I mean it totally changed my life and as Bill said I just Echo what he said that you’re absolutely my hero and uh yeah looking forward to continued friendship ship through the years so good luck with everything and hope to see you here in Japan or in Indiana or maybe Italy Italia thank you all horn players out there call
Jonathan if you’re in Tokyo he’s the best best entertainment manager ever all right have a great one arato Gaz bye bye sleep well Jonathan thanks for joining us thank you thank you um hey you guys we’ve got all these people on the chat Dale you’re going to be amazed when you see who’s talking who who’s chatting Fergus has just uh joined in
Fergus is watching he said to send you his love and Martin Owen who’s been playing first horn here he’s practicing in the main hall because we have an audition in a few days and um he’s just said to send you all his best and also to say hi to Greg who he hasn’t seen for 12 years so
Greg hi for Martin Owen Martin Owen okay yeah uh Mike lellan has joined us hello Sarah hi great to meet you we haven’t met before yeah that’s the first thanks you’ve come all the way from Fort Wayne today yes yes I drove in this morning six hours I think I did it four it’s not that far tell us tell us about your history with
Dale well I had the the privilege of first meeting him I think in the early 80s maybe 1982 83 and um I had already finished my undergraduate training at a conservatory in Cleveland the Cleveland Institute of Music where your colleague Stefan went yeah and um had a a good fascination with Mr clevenger’s musicianship and style of playing because at some auditions
I was going to around then all of his students were doing really well and I thought I’ve got to get a piece of that so I called him up and uh set up a lesson and it ended up being a very long day where he got me into a CSO rehearsal to listen and then um I think your original intent was to teach me right afterwards downstairs of
Orchestra Hall but um the uh I think you had a recording session along with Mr schwier and so the three of us went to the recording session and I kind of hid in the corner of the booth and just observed them for a while and then together Mr clevinger and I went up to his home on the
North Shore of Chicago and I got a three-hour lesson from it so all total that day was just really a a life-changing event for me completely flipped my world upside down and opened my mind up to many new things about music and sound and production on the instrument efficiency and it’s been pretty much a model for me my whole life as a performer since then oh that’s fantastic and you you’ve kept in touch ever since and came well yeah over the the subsequent years nearly after that
I uh continued lessons on a commuting basis and then eventually decided to move here and pursue studies uh full-time and I audition and got into Civic where uh David Griffin was a member and I got to play with David and also Bob ler from the Pittsburgh Symphony was uh in the section at the time so we had a roaring good time
I bet that sounds like quite a fun section it was great yeah and weekly sectionals with Mr clevinger also um going through he still calling Mr clevinger after all these years it’s it’s necessary so anyhow but then I had a great year and a half here but uh out of that I was able to produce well enough and win a job and then leave the nest and that’s what
I did but ever since then I’ve been really empowered by him and really feeling motivated to play up to his ideals and standards that he passed on to me so oh thank you so much thank you thank you so much for coming I just think this is so moving I I need the kleenex Dale can you pass me a
Kleenex please okay thank you thank you thank you thank you um now I I do have where’s Eric Eric is somewhere in there Eric wanted to say say hi too didn’t he Eric thank you Mike thank you Sarah thanks so we’ve got Eric Rusk and Todd bar Master welcome you guys Eric first time we’ve met really nice to meet you
I’m a total in total awe of all these amazing horn players there today great to meet you hi Todd two of them yeah but came one one year before Eric that’s right he was a freshman at Northwestern then and the next year came in this young whippersnapper Eric and a lot of people a lot of war players were a bit saddened about how well he played
I mean this is life it happens that way you know and things go up and down and they change uh you know change is the rule of the day but uh eventually they both became you know friends and uh you know at students and in uh in Civic were you in Civic together yeah yep and and they both uh
I I’m sure they played ex with the orchestra at times but uh and both of them have made fantastic careers of their own uh in various places and and both of them have done themselves and me proud uh I just I sit back and in Wonder at at what some of these people my students have done you know and and
I’m I’m grateful if I had any part of that but they they also work very very hard on their own so guys did Dale have a little part in the fact that you turned out such great horn players by any chance just a little to tell us well you know I I got to Northwestern uh as a freshman and
I was very fortunate I got to study with Dale uh early on um and just thinking back to that first year I was lucky enough to get in the Civic Orchestra and uh as a result of that got to play extra with the orchestra and when I think back I was lucky I was so young and I didn’t know what
I was doing because when I think now about an 18-year-old playing with Chicago Symphony I was way over my head but I didn’t know any better so uh it was just a phenomenal experience and when I I think about um the sectionals that Dale LED um you know I wish everyone could have a porn sectionals with Dale because that’s how
I learned how to play in a section you know because I’m a I play Third horn so I’m in the section and I oftentimes play with a lot of Great Horn players who I think if they’ only had Civic sectionals with Dale um I was so fortunate and you know being with Eric I haven’t seen Eric in
I think 25 years um he looks exactly the same but you know that was the other really amazing thing about being a Northwestern at that time was that I came in as a freshman you know I did pretty well and I thought I was doing all right then Eric came along and you were much better than you thought no no not at all um but there was just there were just so many great players and we all learned from each other and we all emulated
Dale you know one of Dale’s big teaching things is imitation and so that kind of led to us doing Dale imitations too and that was always fun um but it was just a really the horn or do you mean the accent both both yeah give us a go go on I want to hear it I want to hear it uh
I don’t have the resonance that Dale has but I can I tell one quick Story please uh there was an old story that Dale used to tell us about how actually I think Mr schwier fell ill right before a mall or two performance and Dale went up into The Gallery at Orchestra Hall looking for someone to play assistant and so uh
I think Mark guy was there yeah and and Dale said got your horn and Mark had his horn with him he said come on down we suit come on down and so so you know eagerly all of us horn players in Civic brought our horns up to the gallery hoping that the same thing might happen again but but the worst part was the story that evolved it through
US Northwestern students once Eric arrived was that Dale would come up to the gallery and say got your horn give it to Rusk Eric is this true don’t remember that Eric is this true or is this another leg legendary story you know I mean it’s funny you know I’m listening to all these people you know talk about you it’s just you know and
I’ve been thinking about it so much you know I mean this is where I grew up I mean this is you know Chicago is my home and as a kid you know this is where I came this is where I learned what you know what a horn was and I was thinking about you know if I could kind of just sum it up but
I was just thinking you know excitement you know I remember being a kid coming my parents driving me out you know driving me up north from lrange and you know and sitting outside your house for the first time and just being I mean I was almost unglued I was like so I just thought it was you know
I couldn’t believe where I was and then I ended up at school with you and then I heard you playing you know you know on the stage of you know you first played for me when you were 14 I’m almost 16 now yeah I mean you know it’s just you know it’s I mean and everybody that’s played in the
Chicago C the horn players then Mr schwier Mr oldberg and you know Mr gingr all of you guys I mean everyone’s taught me how to play the instrument everyone’s taught me you know what to do you know I he was said you know I remember when the first time he said you know was talking about you know the singer routine he said you know look he said
I’ll tell you what I’ll tell you what I did it every day he said you can do it you can not do it I don’t really care you do what you’re going to do he said it worked for me I was like wow you know what if it works for him and you know and I hear is every time you know
I’m teaching a lesson or when I’m practicing I hear his voice inside my head all the time and that’s you know that’s a true Testament to like you know whatever career I have whatever tiny little you know life I’ve carved out on the horn I owe to you so thank you oh thank you that’s oh thank you
Eric thanks Todd it’s so great Todd that you made it as well you weren’t sure if you’re going to make it on time and that you guys see each other since 20 what’s 25 years that’s really quite incredible especially as you’re only 16 Todd looks even cuter shs speaking speaking of cute guys I have another guest for you
Dale who’s far away who wants to be here I don’t know who’s coming to sit with you now hey thanks thanks you guys for that that’s really fantastic there’s one more person waiting to say hello um who can’t be there with you today but someone you know and love very well and uh well you love and know very well and love very much um and
I hope he’s going to be on the other end of this call as soon as Tim has got him in um the wonders of modern technology the connection wasn’t so great when we tried this earlier on but I think here we go here I hope this is we there he is L benucci hello there how you doing is it
I was watching the all the all interview the all show and uh you know seeing so many horn playay and so many friends I want to say hello to everyone and I see in the back also actor yes I need that too hi Hector so it’s amazing hi s LCA thank you for joining us thank you to you tell us so yeah what what
I would like to say that uh you know everybody was telling some stories about Dale and probably people know and so many things about him I only want to say that um I love him and always has been like a brother like a father and uh everybody knows how big and how good person and musician he is so
I’m very emotional I’m getting emotional and I want to say that um I you know we would we will not miss your playing we will not miss your teaching your still and I’m so happy that so many people is um celebrating with you this moment and uh and we all here in chisan all my student are with me and we all
H love you that’s it we all love you for all you did for the home plane and as a human being for me personally very much thank you thank you so thank you L that’s that’s really fantastic I know I know Italy is Dale’s second home now and that’s why it was very important for me to get
Luca to be part of this I think you even canceled a concert for tonight right yeah I did I did a concert I mean I was supposing to play in Florence and ask a colleagues please I can’t miss that so I’m here in chisen with Derek so he set up all this uh technology because I’m not that good thank you dere no seeing you there and little of window
Grande that’s it you enjoy the all day you just start the day and it’s going to be a long day today right fantastic it’s going to be a long day a day Dale that’s that’s why I don’t want to um to go on too long um you would not believe what’s going on on the chat I mean we’ve got we’ve got
T Redmond from the hle orchestra writing we’ve got um you’ve got friends from everywhere around Fergus is is busy Fergus says Chia Luca by the way got people really from everywhere um and and I will this to you Dale as soon as possible and then you can read how many people out there are loving you the Saro horn section have said hello and send you all their best thanks
I mean it’s really really quite incred Seattle Symphony Jeff fair is watching um Lisa Ford um is watching it’s really uh incredible so um you will you will see yeah Lisa it’s just Dale you have moved so many people um one person who’s still left to say hi you I think you probably inspired more than than anyone because it’s your son
Jesse where’s Jesse Grand Jessie Hey Jesse great to see you again nice to see you Sarah how can the son of Dale Clevenger be a horn player as well and not be in total or I admire you so much you’ve got the most inspiring man as your teacher and as your father it’s just incredible well it’s it’s definitely a very um unique experience to have
Superman as your father and uh once I figure out exactly how to do it I’ll I’ll let you know um but he’s taught me the most important lessons um in my life um that um in developing um your horn playing there’s there’s athletic components and there’s artistic components and there are many different mixtures of those but somehow um my father has developed a process that seems to be 100% artistic uh every calisthenic everything that he does on the horn is based off an expression and a sound that he wants to make so when you hear him play you’re glimpsing through a window into his soul
He’s sharing that with you and he has taught me that that is what being an artist is is being willing to stand on stage in front of thousands of people and share the deepest and most beautiful part of yourself and that’s what I want to do I don’t think there’s a dry eye out there in Horn hangout land right now the chat is suddenly gone very quiet
I think everyone’s reaching for the kleenex Jesse that’s so moving thank you that really is Dale you’re gone how you doing there dale is this enough sentimental stuff for you today should we let you go though I mean you you you you were so loved and so respected in the horn world and in the Music World in general you’ve given so much of yourself um a true artist in all on on all counts
I’m so grateful to what I learned with you in that short time I was in Chicago but you’ve always been a a mentor and I’ve I know you’ve always been there and whenever we see each other it’s like yesterday um and that’s a sign of a true friend as well and I think everyone in that room and everyone who’s going to be on stage with you tonight um they’re not really saying goodbye they’re just celebrating you yeah
I I I told you I I this is this is the first time for me I don’t really know in a way I don’t know how to feel I you know it’s it’s emotional it’s very very happy I’m so happy to see friends from all over the world corn player friends and otherwise and I’m extremely proud of this young man next to me who he will play solo horn
Somewhere in Time as he continues to get his act together [Laughter] and give me a littleit he’s doing it he’s he’s doing and uh it you know I I think that I Lansky ao’s father must have felt very much the same way Luca we see you you’re fine I can see you Luca was getting worried that he was out of here you’re in there
Luca we got you we can see you I I I think of of vilam lato and and I I mean they played together and they’re they were magnificent teachers especially Willam and I met them in like 1967 or eight in this Hall playing together and uh and then think of Dennis brain and his uncle and his I think his father was also hor yeah uhy not
Aubrey auy auy auy but I don’t know who else I don’t know who else had a father and a son relationship I’m sure they’re probably some it’s very special it really is very special and I think I really admire you Jesse for going for it because that’s those are not uh small boots to wear as they say here in
Germany I have to take off my father cap and sometimes be a teacher cap you know I bet that must also suck sometimes Jesse right no no no it’s perfectly wonderful all the times yeah but uh we we thank you very much Sarah for and David putting this together well David has been fantastic there’s just one little group of people that still have to say hello to you um
D we made a tiny little video for you Jesse stay there stay stay stay it’s only 10 seconds long Dale this is if if Tim can work this go right now um they couldn’t be here with the orchestra is free today so we put this best on your retirement from the Berlin phon corn section come and visit us soon in
Berlin all the best hey D all the best on your retir we again section come and visit us soon okay so you get the idea it’s in a permanent Loop you can watch it Stefan and Sarah and J they all send their best and hey you guys where everyone in the room I’d love to say goodbye to you all everyone back there we’d all love to say goodbye to you can you come around to the camera thank you thank you so so much
Luca thank you for joining us child look there’s a I think someone I can’t hear Luca I’m afraid I don’t know quite why but um um Dave where are you Dave you have been such a star for setting all this up thank you byee thanks for coming enjoy and to all of you in the room we’re going offline as soon as um where is
Tim Tim has to you guys got to meet Tim where is he Tim can we see you he’s this black box there he is this is Tim who put this all together it’s five o’clock in the morning in Mel Tim is changing the horn World Tim is really he’s put all this everything that I do online I couldn’t have done it without
Tim I we’ve known each other for a year and the most crazy things have been happening in the horn World Hangouts here and there live master classes and it’s only it’s going to carry on like that I hope all you guys can can join in with it all it’s an amazing way of of reaching people does Tim play horn no he plays a chuba ah
Tim you’re muted I can’t hear you you’re muted oh okay we’ll use sign language okay great to see you anyway and to all of you have a fantastic concert I feel like the loneliest horn player out there at the moment you know because there’s there’s nobody here everyone’s gone home and I want to come and play for you and party with you tonight oh that would be nice send me some photos please okay okay don’t worry there’ll be
Dale this is your tribute um you see how many people love you and respect you and admire you and everyone’s there for you tonight not only in Chicago but all around the world um we love you thank you for everything you’ve done and thanks for this thanks for being on this hangout today thank you very much and see you soon bye bye everybody bye
Horn Hangouts are created by Sarah Willis of the Berlin Philharmonic. Brassbanned is a proud long-time collaborator and streaming partner.
