Tradition, Teamwork and Tone The Chicago Symphony Horn Section talk to Sarah Willis during a special Horn Hangout live from Orchestra Hall about their horn playing tradition, their teamwork and the Chicago sound.
Transcript
Auto-generated from the live stream, expect the occasional robot mishearing.
Hi everyone welcome to Chicago which is where I am today for this incredibly special horn hangout the last time we were in this room I was in Berlin and we were running a virtual hang out here at Symphony Center in Chicago to say goodbye to Dell Clevenger who had just celebrated his final retirement concert and it was incredible there were a horn players from all over the world we beamed in and
I felt like I was there even though I was sitting in Berlin but the horn hangout technology has come a long way since then and I’m here along with handsome Tim who came all the way from Melbourne and we are here with these this group of incredible horn players they are really for me one of the best horn sections in the world a big welcome to the
Chicago Symphony horn section big round of applause all over the world that people were here they’d be applauding as well so we have Susanna Dan Dave Aude oh and Jim can I say Jim more can I say James Jim is much better oh yeah did anyone ever call you James and we have people watching from all over the world and
I just love this do writer and tell us where you’re watching from and tell it send us your questions I’ll get to as many as I can but all of us have a special message for a very special horn player called Hannah Dan tell us about hannah hannah waters was a very special make-a-wish friend of ours she came to
Chicago when she was just in high school and played chamber music with us and we had a wonderful afternoon with her and we’ve kept in touch a little bit but we haven’t seen her lately so I hope you’re watching and listening Hannah and if not you can catch it on YouTube we’ll catch up with you later and that was her her wish her make a wish what what does the make-a-wish
Foundation make possible anything they do amazing she could have met Justin Bieber but she wanted to meet you guys she wanted them to have a chance to play with the horn section so she sat in on a rehearsal that’s fantastic well let’s hope she’s happy and healthy and that hope that she’s watching so big her to had it but there’s someone else watching who gets an equally hello big hello
Dale Clevenger is watching in Bloomington Indiana hello Dale it’s an honor to have him with us today so um do send in your questions for the horn section Dale I think Jeff Nelson dragged Dale along and have sat him in front of the the the computer so Dale and Jeff hi to you and yeah so let’s get going you you guys have actually you are such a long-standing horn section you know it’s not
I’m not saying you’re old or anything you know but you have been playing together in this formation how long she said okay how can we work that out I’m the newest member you re the numeral but I’m have you been here at well years yeah but still that’s quite incredible for a woman section most watched sections have people coming and going and so when you came there with still principal horn and but it was a part of it was all the same yeah when did you you came mm mm that’s when we met oh you have to say the most
I’m good entire wooden table invention for the Deutsche Bank I doubt you’d like that white once does does hereby own sighs not bad eh you studied sang in Berlin with effort can’t siphon my goodness you still remember your German you’ve been helping some kids with their homework I want or I saw yeah how about you actually getting me got people watching in
South America so what do we say to them so lose the sheikah rocky for Tolos Latinas kiss tongue or you know money or do you don’t say valet do no sir what do you say stop being the B n cubed say I want language reduce my people from rural India and speak American American good Oh Julie Landsman is watching in
New York City Julie we’ve got something to tell you these guys are playing at Carnegie Hall on Friday night and I’ve just invited them all to your party is that okay Julie and I are doing a horn hangout on Friday night and at Julliard School and it’s going to be alive opera horn hangout and she’s bringing along all her met girls you know what it’s a tribute to the legacy of her teaching and they’re all girls it’s great so they will be coming along and the students will be playing some opera excerpts and afterwards it’s a party and
Julie they’re all invited [Laughter] good so here we go we’ve got people watching New York New York at Bloomingdale New York white incredible Mexico well that’s good amber Dean and it said that was good for the good so I’m gonna leave these questions for all and get back to mind you guys have been in this section for twelve two thousand twelve years dan you are the longest standing member forty years over 40 yes [Laughter] didn’t you start on last year hey what do you mean about
Mars Jeff but I have seen some pictures we have a great archive of thanks to the Chicago Symphony archive we have some great photos on top which hats and Tim is just gonna blend in and out of the pictures and we’ve got some of you playing 4th horn yes so you did start north on the last chair it’s on the most important right
I did play 4th one for 15 years but I didn’t start there I was assistant utility for three years but that’s why you’re such a good first on there because you’ve got such a good low range that’s what we always I don’t know it’s just been great fun so it’s a bit of a changes don’t you find if you sit in a different chair that the scenery looks different
I mean you you your utility your utility and your utility as well so to explain what utility how would you explain utility to people watching cuz they they think it’s a bumper but it’s not really well it’s different in this section than any other because you’ve got two of us and when we have 6/3 he was third associates so he will move over to play principal and we’d fill in the thirds we were a utility with a lot of third thrown in on stuff that human right okay so you thought you went to third and then how long we’ve been playing principle uh well
Dale retired it’s going on five years but you play first a lot before I was I remember the Bruckner eight when you were on first tuber when I came on to with you guys and I remember afterwards Daniel Barenboim coming to see dad your tuba playing is like a human voice and and he was just so did you don’t remember him saying
Dave how about you you were principal thorn all over the place my previous job before here was associate principal in Houston and associate principal in Montreal a lot of the module horn players I was just in Montreal this weekend doing their horn Days Festival which is fantastic and they also in a big halloumi still consider you one of theirs but he gave me some great tips from bagels
I did you know the material is famous for bagels picture of one of the bagel shops you know you knew exactly where I was so from Montreal from principle horn you came why did you make that promotion you know Chicago was has always been mecca for me you know the Sun rises and sets over Chicago in terms of the brass section and the quality
Orchestra so it was just an amazing opportunity to come here when I joined the horn section three of my former teachers were colleagues all of a sudden and that was just a thrill beyond this three being Dan Norm’s why Kurt and Dale we have some pictures of Norma’s record when I played here he was he was still playing second horn yeah wasn’t he and
I just remember his absolute calmness but he’s crazy warming up ya know would just you couldn’t eat even if a bomb exploded he’d still finished his warm-up right right you couldn’t you couldn’t budge him but he was an amazing teacher so when was that exactly I was 1995 yeah I started with norm a little bit in college and he was just very thorough and lessons you know he wanted the technique really solid and he insisted that that you play slow renditions perfectly before moving on to faster renditions and it just made so much sense what was it like playing a haunting horn section with three
Of your city of your teachers it was really fun did they leave you alone [Music] [Laughter] but what I love about what you do is you’re an example for us all for low horns because you you do recitals and you play first storm I was in LA a few weeks ago playing with LA Phil and they were waxing lyrical about
Dave’s first horn playing and I had to play first one in one of the pieces and I almost died it was terrifying but you do the whole program impressive and also I must say this morning when I was youtubing everyone I found your recital and there’s some beautiful pieces on that so I can really recommend that you get that good but
I can really recommend you guys that go to YouTube what’s your recycle from last year was Wow this past September I played one of your transcriptions you also played with your son Henry yeah it was very touched by that that was really that was lovely to see but you use your recycles as a way to get back into shape that’s right they caught my annual recertification to be a reporter
I almost other one players I knew get back into into shape with Netflix and practice mute um oh do you um you came from your first one of your first jobs I just have to say before I forget that is where my brother is chief justice to Nazareth in South Bend and I was watching so I’m sure they’re very proud girl but that’s just not far from here no it’s about a hundred miles before that was
Civic and before that was I was in Cedar Rapids on where Dan’s daughter is right it’s an Iowa Iowa in the middle of Iowa so that’s rather chilly there at the moment probably yeah but that was my first job and then was that no third and then I went second horn in South Bend and then I won principal horn in a very very small
Orchestra and then two CSO so I never really made my way up the ladder too much I start at the bottom and and finish the client at the job yeah but that’s great and what you did you joined mm mm and utility is that a good job or do you never know and you always have to be flexible that part of it is difficult but it’s great to have a challenge to play up and down to have new assignments we don’t get to play the same parts every time that the piece repeats it’s it’s really wonderful so
I can’t pigeonhole myself being a high player or being a low player maybe that’s the consequence of that but I feel like I can do both of them equally okay the questions are gonna come in and say equally okay on YouTube the dream dream out loud and you play the beginning of Strauss one I mean it must have been one of the best beginnings of
Strauss I have ever heard you guys got a if anyone no can put in any of the links of the stuff we’re talking about here in the chat that would be great some people are having a few problems washing washing watching it’s the jet lag sorry guys watching at 10:00 do you have any tips for them if they’re if they’re they just have to refresh the page okay that’s good okay so if people are doing their washing and want to watch it it’s we’re going in
Facebook too but please don’t send the questions to Facebook because I I can’t answer them but here all the questions fantastic this dream dream out loud the video please watch it his beginning of Strauss one and you can hear everything below F ie start and I was like okay let’s let’s wait for the low F ba ba ba and
I was like yeah okay he’s gonna go fall that’s pretty where was that recorded the video John Hedstrom stood at the Fine Arts Building yeah he did that John heck’s rooms our second trumpet player and he’s master with all that sort of a multi medium much like what set up here he had different camera angles and yeah he didn’t do makeup though so that’s the one thing sort of a powder if you watch that be easy on me you weren’t in hair and makeup before and
I thought you look pretty good so yeah someone just posted the dream out loud videos alright everyone can watch that the questions will come in how do you how do you keep in shape for high and low good question boy um I think so we talk about this all the time what do we do when we’re not playing here and all that sort of thing
I I’m becoming more of a routine guy as I get older you know with Dale being such a big influence on me I deal and when I was in Civic he would say you know you should be able to play at any moment without a warm-up and and so I sort of took that to heart and try to do that but now that
I’m getting older doing everything that we do up and down I feel like maybe because it’s I am getting older I have to do more pretty good thank you know I feel like I should do more of a concentrate warm-up at home and I you’re at home warm apart I am a hold warmer / yeah yeah and then they come back in their horns these at home or and you just think gosh that sounded good today but they’ve already warmed up so
I I don’t know I mean specific things I have to do I’m doing more mouthpiece buzzing nowadays too but that’s that’s I know that I preach that too is my teaching but you know how it is you you do you tell somebody something and then you’re like you know what that’s probably good idea she’s probably more that myself the more you tell the others what to do the more you think
I should be doing that okay well we’ll get back to that cuz I’m interested to hear what you do as well but Ginny we just we said you studied in Berlin and then after before Berlin what was before Berlin northwestern’s Northwester singing you were born and bred Chicago and and it was your dream I remember when when when we both when
I came here to play with you guys at Ravinia and you hadn’t got the job yet but it was just you were just burning for it he that was his job that was your your dream incredible so it’s really a dream that’s that’s what happened to you tell us about that well I was a substitute with the orchestra for 14 years and went to 14 years 14 years and auditioned in in there a few times and went in 1989 played in
Philharmonia and Gorica whose principal horn and played for a year in San Francisco God I can that’s in the middle of Germany ride and mom right well they worked hard Orchestra yeah with monster programs and not a lot of money right yeah and then is Berlin and Berlin was before the Stadio 1980 studies I heard in Berlin and then in 1989 was in
Germany and morale and was back in Chicago and and playing extra the symphony and teaching and freelancing and played for a year in San Francisco and then the following year one second Hornet position here I find any credit could have be hard to play auditions for people that you know and love that was my biggest challenge when
I did the audition for the Berlin Phil cause I’d been in my job for ten years at the Opera and I played extra you know those are the highlights of my my my seasons with what to you know get to play extra a couple of times but then to go out there and stand on the stage you were behind a curtain though weren’t you well for though for the preliminaries yeah but not in the finals and tell us well did it everybody good day yeah everybody knows you generally speaking if you’re a local person auditioning it’s it’s difficult because they they know your your good
Things and the things that they would like you to do better and you just have to try to dispel what what maybe been stuck in their mind I’m looking at Dan because he heard many auditions and Dave and you just try to you know have your have your good day and have it all work out you did and that was really a total dream and then you have been year 10 year or two years ten years ten years at or probation again will say they’re all they got tenure so these right we see on trial you could be on probation for your face you’ll ever
Review after a year but after 14 years surely you knew what you were getting so how long was your probation in the end it a little under a year okay so they made you sweat Olivia about 11 months well I mean you guys are such a solid section and and coming in and a lot of the legacy one of one of the most famous
Horne pedagogues in the world was in your orchestra from that Farkus when did he when do you remember any dates Wendy helpful from when to win with you here sorry to land you in it if you don’t there was two times that he was here right so and they weren’t there long four years at one point and left in 58 does it sound about right now maybe 60 you have a picture of him next to
Frank broke Frank broke and even if you didn’t know it was him all home players would recognize his smile from all those funny photos yeah that for me that’s the Bible that book I I just I still love that warm-up and and you’re right as I get older too I find I don’t have to warm up a little bit more and a little bit a little bit different any second horn warming up tips you can give us and then
I’m gonna get to all these questions here because they’re all coming in loud and well I don’t say I’ll say Norman was my teacher at Northwestern as well as with Dave and so of course we all had a copy of his run up and we had heard it and I still do some of those things but I was also stood of
Dale who had strongly advised that we’d be able to play without doing any kind of warm-up at all so I said Dale is just written in hey Dale he’s written ode oh great more mouthpiece buzzing so just a mixture of things I do a little bit of Norman’s warm-up and just kind of my own things and just actually
I do it on the minimal side just to just kind of assess where where you are for that day and what you have to play and just go up on the stage yeah sue Susannah I’m gonna have to call you sue or do you prefer it when people call you [Music] Susan how about utility warming up well
I I have found so far in bed I have certain routines right now I’m doing a duck heel rendition but every so many years that skill from LA where’s Constance okay there’s another Doug sorry sorry either if you’re watching I just sorted that’s right there’s a hum as well dog hole was just in LA at our muscle cars came played with us okay so dog
Hill oh don’t you have a warm-up from dog dug Hill yes mean it pertains it is it is it published we find it did norm ever publish his no couldn’t we get him to do that it sits on an old blue mimeograph we need to get it out there really because it’s got some great stuff in Madison yeah let’s let’s get onto that yeah
I find that every so many years say five six years or sometimes shorter I’d have to throw everything out that I’m doing and start again with it’s a routine so right now I’m using the Doug he loved using it for a while but I interject some other things too what’s important for you that’s Billy we player okay muscley player
I like that get tight very fast yeah really yeah okay I could tell you how to play in high horn that’s why I know I agree flexibility is that’s why the the the Jeff Bryant’s you cheer for me Jeff Bryant at London one player he goes dot every day and he’s a stairwell warm up her so he’ll disappear into a stairwell and do these flexibility exercises and
I I heard them sort of floating out one day and I thought I’m gonna do that and since then that’s it sir I think it’s important for the low low horn players especially as second horn also to get up and down too much flexibility for for phone gets me too you need more bite no sir right yeah so that’s important that’s important for you there’s a question that’s come din there’s actually lots of questions
I’m sorry you guys I’m getting to your questions on I’m just too interested in what’s going on here and Amy Kruger says yes please Jim Norma’s warm-up would be wonderful so there we go we want that out there Tracey M where are you from Tracey let us know what horn is everyone playing on these days so let’s go around this let’s go in a circle
I have a Louis and then I’ve also been crippled which is a cordis manya what cordis Maki it’s from Carl Hill he there’s an Grand Rapids okay do you use both in New York strap yes okay Dan Louis also and for the pearly stuff I have two horns Louis horn which is here and I use most of my fourth horn plate and
I also have a Lucas horn from Memphis Tennessee okay it’s a compliment that more really well yeah they play both at the same time yeah right I’m sanicu I have a Louis horn and I have triple from well this but Tracy how so you will play call Nate 8d so you obviously obviously don’t know maybe long time ago about 50 years ago right
I play a Louis horn I own several but the only one I’ve ever used on stage is a loser okay mouthpieces yes yeah I was gonna say I went Barrington to play third horn a long time ago said that we want for one entire season section I sort of remember there was a Chicago eight okay but but not anymore not anymore
Kyle X is watching from LA and she’s a very good friend of mine horn player from Venezuela and she says flexibility yay so it’s good very important flexibility our Tracey is from Brattleboro Vermont so good thank you for your question Jeff from Chicago says thank you for the mile of five a week ago it was fantastic I caught mr.
Gingrich on the L train after the concert and wanted to come up to you and tell you how much I enjoyed your solo and he always he didn’t but he saw you on the L is Mary watching is a busy day but okay what was the Mary for when she does watch it okay and sue she’s running kids around on errands everybody else got family watching
I told you everything your parents are watching my sister your sister Mary the children are watching write in and tell us we want to see this oh so how do my kids but they probably won’t see it because dad’s not so I hope my mom’s watching she’s looking after my nephew from them is my iPad upside down somebody said okay sorry
I was gonna put a horn hanging sticking here but I forgot right okay so I can’t sir be from Montreal was happy that I was there and she’s hi to you and montreal montreal horns we love you if all of you that are watching somebody said I’m hoping Sibelius one will be available soon did you guys do is has to be this one no yes there we go we pointed we didn’t record on the radio what did you what do you play today you guys are going on tour tomorrow that’s what the rehearsal was today and you’re maestro muti let you out early so that
You could come to the horn hangout or did he not he did not know course and right okay yeah you’re coming to New York so we’re gonna see then Samuel Hampton from Lyric Opera of Chicago the CSO horn section played an outstanding performance last Tuesday congratulations for the Mozart and Mahler v hi Samuel you guys know is it nice that all these people are watching obrigado obrigado okay
I’m French want one wants to know how long does it take you to fully warm up dan what would you say to that one the older I get the longer it takes it’s true isn’t it I know I don’t want to talk about getting older but I really agree with you it’s you mentioned flexibility that was lucky for me one thing that
I was good at when I was young but the older I get the I warm up very easily make no demands and I a lot of rest in between and just take my time with it and that that helps these days what do you do in the rest time if you still have cockatiels birds you have a cat no any carry smells is watching there she is okay we need the mouthpiece question everyone wants to know about the mouthpieces
Lasky you said a lot of us are playing less keys right not Jim though I play I play it’s a copy that Yamaha made in 1995 and it’s a copy of a Farkus mouthpiece the original before he had medium cup MDC all that kind of stuff so it’s a little wider it’s a little bigger than a medium
Cup and the rim is a little little sharp I don’t know anything about mouthpieces I just say if you find what secrets are terrific yeah but people want to know we want the secrets to be unveiled here I play a sort of a hodgepodge I had stuart custom put together a Lasky cup with a lawson rim okay and
I’d like to have a nice flat rim I don’t bite into me and I’d like a wider diameter as well okay for your muscly yes I play a Lasky mouthpiece also but I’d have to look at it to see if there’s a number yes the Lasky 725 gee oh my goodness the manufacturer originally he told me that the
G stood for Griffin but then Danny came out he told Dan do you change mouthpieces for when you go and play first or you play first one here sometimes - yeah all of us do yeah you all do gosh I choose not to do that it’s available to all of us when he doesn’t like okay you can pick and choose it’s a great luxury that’s oh you were the one that played for us on
Sibelius one that’s right that’s right that’s the that’s the that’s what we’ve got to get the good that’s why we someone wants the what’s the recording of it Breanna who’s also a great horn hangout fan Breanna we’re waiting for your selfie if you guys are watching we’d love to have a selfie of you where you’re watching from and send it to us hashtag horn hangouts on
Facebook or Twitter or Instagram some guy sent me a horn hangout the hashtag and he did a horn challenge upside down he was hanging off one of those exercise things and he he played the beginning of Strauss one upside down okay so yeah so Breanna waiting for selfie anyway she asks and this is a great question because
I really suffered from this in Montreal after just one day being they’re living in Windy City how do you guys cope with chapped windburn lips because it’s in Montreal it took one day and it all started peeling off do you have any does this happen to you for me I’m probably the strangest person about that I use absolutely nothing in fact for me though for me the hard thing is in the summer it’s hot and humid in and melee so for me when it’s cold out that’s perfect that’s that’s the protective layer we will we will look a little bit pained to hear that how
About you I found some Burt’s Bees Fred Smith in the eucalyptus variety you know it’s funny I when I met my wife who’s a trumpet player I Sarah if she’s gonna never see this I Sarah you got a nice name she with an H she got me addicted to blistex which is a brand of lip balm here and the orange one
I have it in my pocket Oh sponsorship bliss sticks if you’re watching I have to say um so I got really addicted to it you know just I needed it all the time but now I’m trying to get away from it just I’m I’m playing more with that sort of shell or casing of a chap nice I’m getting used to it so you’re a dry plan
I like the inside dry and everything else because I’m sorry the inside wet but the everything else dry yeah because in in Montreal they were saying all of you if you’re a wet player here yeah you know that that’s what causes all the trouble your lips are like me I’m a totally wet player and lick my lips a hundred times and then they were bright red as if
I was wearing lipstick within within minutes it was I’ve played in New Mexico a couple years ago and that was challenging super dry there and I think Mexico City I would be high up elevation yeah okay any more quick tips for chapped lips from you guys nothing specific every coat pocket yeah every coat pocket and it’s really it’s very you get the wind from every every quarter we just turned the corner around by the bakery and then it just hits you here yeah it’s not with that and you know where that is so you walk with the yes okay this is
I like this question from Dede who’s Dede and where are you watching from did the teaching method methods of Arnold Jacobs remain influential in the Chicago brass horns you played with Jake yes and I never met him in person which I’m very sad about I spoke to him on the phone and said please can I come and see you and he said he said on the phone he said
I can tell you’re pretty that’s why I’m really sorry but I have no time this week there’s I don’t want to be guilty of heresy here but there’s so much talk about Jake and breathing but his mantra was wind and song and I often I think the song necessarily the wind is a necessity and the goal is this and that was what he did on stage with
Hoffa though but with just half a lung but very vocal style very singing that’s that’s what he was mean with the there is the thing worldwide about the Chicago breathing about the upper body breathing I remember the very first thing I came to play with you guys was was Mahler with there were hundreds of horns I think it was mala
I know three or something - is ma Thor - that’s right and I was in the back row and we were sitting in front of the bras and I’d sort of turned up on stage or boom and I was sitting right in front of Charlie and and Jean Jean who we have on a horn hangout in two hours from now it’s got quite a long day for us but it’s looking for us that
Jean pokorny principal Schubert and they breezed in and I literally felt my hair being sucked back into the brass because it was this you know this this huge and that is what people think about and I must say it’s helped me a lot to have learned that I find his horn players it’s almost too much because I was splitting notes then left right and center once
I learned it but that’s what most people think about or or want to know about is all this this chicago breathing so I’m happy you say that because they your bra’s will still have that song in them as well I think that I think it’s great to hear it described in many different ways but Jake really did distill it down to something very simple for all of us to understand but as a teacher you you want to try to express it several different ways because you’d never know which words you use will click with us you know an individual student so you know the more
Information the more stories you hear about how Jake taught you never know how that little bit of information is going to connect with somebody I found when I came here I hadn’t had much experience of playing with any girls because you know in in I was your new girl in the in the horn section and those days there weren’t that many girls playing home there were more in
America in fact we have an old archive photo of a lady playing the French horn as part of the section now who was she well Helen kotas that was I I was wondering I didn’t want to say the wrong name in case I looked silly but we had this photo of her and surrounded by by the section that’s good for her so it’s really started and
Nancy fake-o was a member of this section I’ll show you the photo and of course Gail okay great Kimberly was here too so you you had a much bigger tradition of girls in the horn section and when I came here was fantastic than to meet Gail and and also Alice Dale’s Dale’s wife who I watched her breathe and it was incredible you know she just filled her entire upper body and
I didn’t know about that I I must say learning about that really really helped but it’s not only upper body is it how for me I I can’t do the the big quick breath because it locks me up it comes in it stops and it has to come out again so I have to do more that the that one were you very aware this this tradition of
Chicago breathing when you came oh absolutely I grew up in Chicago studied in Chicago so I heard the whole thing I never got a lesson with Jake but I heard his I’ve read about it and saw the students that would do that too it helped me quite a bit I don’t know how I would localize it just getting a a good amount of air of course was the most important thing because
I think it students a lot of times you don’t you take it for granted so you don’t really take it a good healthy amount of air so that really helped me a lot just tank up speaking of air the the air conditioning is just going up full throttle if you guys could hear that I do apologize but it fits perfectly to what we’re talking about so if you’re hearing a lot of air conditioning sorry about practicing our breathing but
I’m quite happy about it because it’s very warm in you kids there anything is it disturbing your sound quality pencil Tim everything’s good right he’s giving the thumbs up so everything’s good Abby would like to know your favorite Straus tone poem Jimmy can start the rescue think of it I say yeah just because of the memories of hearing the orchestra before
I was in and then having a chance to sit next to Dale and play it yeah they’re all great boy I don’t know I think the politically correct thing would be to say cause it’s a lien perhaps Don Juan’s it’s it’s shorter and more kind of Don Juan yeah it was a lot trickier than it looks that little
I appreciate that when we had it on tour in November I had to play it like nine times at the beginning I was like ah this is easy and then by the night then I was like who saw those coming and it’s not even you know that important but across fourth horns it’s a big deal exactly unfortunately you get my sermon on favorites good
I’d like to hear your sermon it’s very difficult to say good greatest thing about being a member of an orchestra is that you don’t have to have a favorite the repertoire changes every week the conductors change often and we just move on from one thing to the next and it’s all wonderful that’s a very politically correct answer but do you have a favorite anyway well
I mean if I had to choose when it would probably help them even if I have owned a lot of great memories it was a second there was the first piece I play with this Orchestra oh I know it’s done I love that about me you think that every time you get to a piece you remember where you play that last the piece that was in your
Youth Orchestra we’re actually very lucky aren’t we we are how do you mentally prepare yourself for different styles of music those those are quite hard could question Stu to answer jackers also asks any tips on nerves or composure on solo entries it’s fine in the practice room but a different story on stage these questions always come and
I just like to ask I know you don’t want we don’t want to give any way any any home home secrets but everybody has a different way of dealing with with you know performance anxiety and it’s different for every one of us that how we are as a person as well are you very practical about it do you have do you do yoga do you what would you say well for me
I find that nothing beats nervous in the pecs friend making sure you’re strong enough and you know what you’re doing that’s the biggest I hear I hear ya dad do you even get nervous you’re so you’re so you’re so calm I think watch conductors shame on you some of them seem like they’re putting on a show and it’s the more it’s a show the object is to serve music
I agree but sometimes that’s really hard that’s really hard and when it gets really hard and you can sit on stage to tell yourself pull yourself together you’re supposed to be playing in music and it doesn’t quite work what do we do then pray I would say in the practice room try to incorporate breathing in time with the pulse make that to have it for your entrances and that’s something you can rely on in a performance that’s something
Gail did quite a lot didn’t he because I can’t I remember with tight five I bumped him for that and I noticed he was breathing in the rhythm of what was coming up be an ally in performance but you need to practice it you can’t just do it on the stage just because you just think it’s a good idea right but it’s important because then you you internalize the pulse to it it becomes a physical thing rather than just an abstract concept out there well now that we’ve gotten to play a little bit more principle
I mean I tell you that my nerves have never gone away and sometimes they get worse and they creep up in the most unlikely places like we were doing Gershwin Piano Concerto in F I believe it is there’s a third horn little thing it’s it’s kind of bluesy and it comes out of nowhere but it happens right after a lot of passage so it kind of key and we’re first rehearsal my heart was going like crazy on it
I’m just like hold on this is the shouldn’t do that that difficult but the thing is be able to perform still with it I don’t I don’t mind that it’s there but I wish at certain times it was more balanced preparation repetition for me breathing very relaxed that helps and then immersing myself in the music that’s the biggest thing that’s what we all aim to do and
I I’d love to say I do it all the time but I sometimes don’t because sometimes it’s just scary and people about what I find often at masterclass is is that people don’t believe that if you’re in the Berlin filler and the Chicago Symphony they think you don’t get nervous anymore and and that’s something that that I think it’s important for us to share with them that it happens to us well
I think you get nervous because you you you care about the impression and you care that you do a good job I mean I think as as sue said Noto said I think we all agree that preparation is key I mean I know for me what would make me nervous if I feel unprepared if I don’t feel in shape if
I don’t feel rested so I always try to make sure I can have those things but even still as Otto said something might come up and you feel a little keyed up and for me the way out of it is always is to play the phrase play play the long reaching phrase that that put your concentration on the music and serve the music and that will get you through and and always remember it’s it’s it’s a blessing to get to do this it’s not life and death it’s an honor to get to play this music and it’s over before you know it that’s what our
Taurus on Devon said two weeks ago and we had our hangout he was just like what a blessing to do this job he said we could have been driving trucks or cleaning the streets he said we get to play music he just got to love it and his enthusiasm was just so wonderful and and the next time
I put out on stage and performed I just thought great you know and if you go on stage happy and grateful you play better but still it’s still helpful these students are still thinking all right you know what what can I do are you sporty because I finally you know that that’s supposed to help you guys this 41
Auto should answer that look at me everybody I guess I’m pretty sporty still I played a lot of basketball which is antithesis to warm playing but I have a special mask that has been made I’m good so I did get hit a few times several times local players you know what this well I tried that out if they have sort of a what’s it called laughter yeah pacifier mouth guard that covers the lips but it’s not gonna do anything if someone elbows you so
I had a mask made for me which looks kind of like a Hannibal Lecter sort of thing but the people I play with are very nice about it if your wife’s watching would she send us a photo of it it’s clear it’s it’s it’s kind of grease minute I play with it all the time I have not gotten injured with it so it’s been great so maybe there’s 40 people
I like to run but I wanted to say one more thing about nerves and Samantha thing about lot recently and that is if you are looking to a lesson in the ears then one of the ways I think could be great is to stretch yourself so that you are putting an uncomfortable position on a regular so that’s our job it’s our job bit more you mean
I don’t choose to play principal they all do so they’re stretched that way but I’m thinking about doing other things that we’re like I played children’s conscious just like Dan and his wife and my husband before and that was a good stretching opportunity where you’re up close and personal 20 little kids in well then if there’s the hardest or dude so many things also just nowhere to hide 3 or 4 piece ensemble so
I think stretching yourself playing for church playing for community can for anywhere that you’re gonna be on the spot it’s helpful good i I know a group of four players that go and play for all people’s homes and they’re so appreciative and they say they never feel more loved than when they go and play their old people’s homes concerts are you sporty
Dan you look at everyone always since what you said everyone wants favorites they want to know your favorite places to go on tour is that easy to say New York of course cuz you’re there next week on Friday something warm when it’s cold here Australia well you went on tour there ages no it’s about time that CSO took you back to
Australia Australia but then in your winter like now that would be really good how about you I would say Italy or France I just I love the culture and the cuisine both those countries amazing touring is one of the best parts about our jobs do you have and you like to come back to Deutschland I I do and
I like the Lin I like Vienna and I like Hong Kong Hong Kong’s fantastic just we were just there we’ve got to stay there for five days because we we travel that was the first day of the tour so a free day travelled a free day to concerts and the people are just fantastic sauce Hong Kong so why does
CEO so not come back to Berlin it’s about time you did they decide that okay we went because barenboim because of the Easter Festival those are great days and you guys came on we went every year we always put on a good party for you when we were there yes Oh favorite solo pieces favorite horn concertos favorite marla simply but one good question i saw miles and miles away sorry the questions are coming in
Fast & Furious which I absolutely love but somebody wanted to ask about a section playing about everybody is section playing tips you guys are a happy section I get the feeling you don’t just have to say it for the cameras but I find you a very peaceful section and that’s so important I could not play in one of these horn sections that hate each other and make life difficult but for me that would be the biggest tip of playing in a horn section is get on with your fellow horn players
I mean your job second horn what is your what is your role boy that’s it’s complicated it’s not just to follow the first or just to support the first or just to transmit the message of the first to the third and the fourth it’s it’s just to I think what everybody’s job is is to provide consistency in what you do and and support everybody around you it at times within the part you might have a prominent part to lead either volume wise or but you’re always listening to everybody and just you just there to support you’re just there to help all the time and it
Was not just second heart we are short-handed handed meaning you’re missing one right there should be six of us and there are five at the moment so you’re looking for associate a principal one or associate principal I know this is a your principal principal but guys why do you need a principal if you have been playing for us
I wouldn’t two months down because with us at sixty-five is a pretty good time to be together not a bad time to be getting off the first time chair my can no but you sound so amazing he’s not gonna he’s looking except any of these tournaments but okay so everybody does everything yeah as my teacher dick old burger played third or
Nana for a long time yeah I’d like to say everybody’s job description reads the same do what needs to be done he does Dale told Dale told me gave me kind of a history of the horn section this is even before I was in the orchestra he set out how after he was there in this order Tom
Hall came and came in on assistant Utility and Norman came in that way and Dan came in that way and he praised everybody how they moved into their roles that they started by understanding that that you had to do everything and he said he was so proud of his section that could yeah the little section that could sorry sorry there’s a children’s story called the little train that could little engine that could the section that could we’re gonna we’re gonna rename you think
I can I think again I know I can what do you need to do in your daily practice to make sure that you can be in this section that could that can make it fun you know I do routine and I practice the fundamentals like everyone else but I also try to push the pleasure button I’m playing things that
I think are fun you know Ike I’ll play the first horn soul from Beethoven six on the F side and it just because it sounds fun and do some you know great fourth home horn moments that I really enjoy so that practicing isn’t just drudgery but something that you you really look forward to to make these great sounds on the instrument so
I think there has to be some element of fun to it in order to you know grow I am I my best friend is a flute player and I was staying with her and I I wanted to do some playing but I didn’t want to warm up I just wanted to play I said do you have any food books
I’ll just play it down three octaves and she gave me a beginner flute book beginner flute players get opera arias to play what do we get bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah so I think that I think every day no matter whether you’re a big or professional he should have some sort of opera arias in your life and be able to play these
Tunes because yeah and say to stay fit cuz you never know also what’s here what’s your first what your first job was gonna be I mean you you were on the second you had a second one job and then your what do you have to audition how do you audition for utility do addition for high or low it was an interesting situation the orchestra native to horn players
Jim and I both won at the same time actually so they had two openings and I think most of the list was low if I remember correctly there was Mozart 25-second horn so that was a high horn excerpt but as I recall most of it was low or in that in that realm it wasn’t anything I had to play third horn on anything so yeah
Steve says I only play in horn section where enjoy my co section members life and music is too short to play with people who are unpleasant hear hear sometimes of course you have to buy I totally I Matson said do you guys hang out outside of rehearsals obviously now with Sara but otherwise yes or not that much
I’m Friday we’re all gonna hang out together I hope what a Julie Julie party for Julie we have a nice picture of you guys hanging out literally hanging over a bridge in us was that Austria some Petersburg I couldn’t quite tell it looked quite Austrian in the background actually that’s in Petersburg when was that I was I think that was
Dale’s last year 2012 the reservation to order we tend to hang out more yeah at home it’s always family and busy and traffic and going on the L and three or four blocks or duties in either the mile yeah here’s a great story I think this tell a lot about dad in December we Shostakovich v I’m one night and third
Thursday night was Tchaikovsky fit huge first horn souls I’m Wednesday he shows up with homemade cookies for everyone [Laughter] gosh that’s really nice oh that’s really nice and highly says do any of you sing Sanders I used to sing quite a bit in a barbershop right yes yes fantastic maybe they’re watching I think singing is I don’t sing in public if
I can help it the master classes sometimes but it’s this voices aren’t most natural instrument and if you don’t know how to play something sing it right yes would you would you not agree you know we’ve been hanging out for an hour already Tim do I have to stop quite soon are we having a nice time or there’s someone outside here saying oh hello
I think we’re getting to the end of the horn hangout sadly this is really sad can we continue this but in private then on Friday night at Julie’s house we’ll just hang out some more with no before we go I just want to say another word about Dale because I I discovered you guys when Dale was playing for a student and it really is a wonderful legacy that but that he left here and that this the sound that he made he was really for me one of the greatest first horns of our time and and he was he was the
CSO sound for how many years was he here also and and you guys all learned so much from him and and I know he’s watching right now so I just wanted to say a chapeau to Dale because I wanted to say there’s so many things you could say about Dale but but something that’s really important is he was so in love with with doing a good job all the time on his it’s hard to say without being emotional on his last day on his last day of rehearsal in a few years before that he started to say things like well
I might not play this piece again or that might be the last time I play he’s on his last day in rehearsal he was still marking the part and the conductor wanted something the last rehearsal and was still thinking the music all the way that must have been so emotional for you guys that you had a wonderful tribute concert to him
I was gonna say memorial concerts not quite the word cuz he was still there a tribute concert and I would have loved to have been there but I was then after there virtually there is a wonderful horn hangout in the archives your tribute to Dale that everybody came and crowded around this little camera do you remember it was just yeah
I was writing the corner there I really felt like I was with you that day so I I learned a lot from Dale as well so I was I was very very grateful to at that time so thank you for joining us Dale thank you for watching if I could attend yes would summarize what we’ve inherited from
Dale you know as foreign players we talk about all the technical challenges we have but sometimes I think we’re tempted to make compromises for the sake of the technical challenges and what we inherited from Dale is a absolute commitment to uncompromising musicianship just simply no shortcuts no sure absolutely no allowances for this is difficulty he tried his utmost all the time well this is one of the reason not only the reason but one of the reasons why you are really for me one of the best horn sections in the world and you are amazing players and fantastic people and great friends it’s been such a
Pleasure to see you guys again today but it was a slight yesterday it’s we have a picture of our last meeting which was in in danboy which is a schnitzel Haus in Salzburg Tim if you got that picture for us where the Berlin Film the Chicago Symphony horns all hung out that night remember you were quite new then it was so long ago you’re quite new
I don’t think 2011 2011 some things are different but that was the last time I think we saw each other in person but it’s like yesterday and I adore you guys and thank you so much for making the time thanks to the Chicago Symphony organizers for letting us do it here and we did a little bit of advertising in the background you may have noticed thank you so much and any of you watching online still they will be able to see everything you write to you so if you have any messages for these wonderful horn players do write in and they’ll get to see them
When we’re done if you were around in an hour and a half we will be back online here in the same place with Jean pokorny principal tumor of the Chicago Symphony what shall I ask him Three Stooges those two things we found a great video about of the Three Stooges which we’ve stolen from YouTube but william basset hound says he still have his bass adduce okay good basset hounds
I have to get some photos I wonder if I can get in touch with Beth and get a depends on photos anyway Chicago Symphony Orchestra horns thank you so so much for this wonderful hangout thanks to all of you - handsome Tim for being here Jack behind the camera and five stream for letting us use their their streaming platform and
I love these hangouts and I feel very privileged to have been here thank you danke sure yes thanks see you soon bye guys bye Oh
Horn Hangouts are created by Sarah Willis of the Berlin Philharmonic. Brassbanned is a proud long-time collaborator and streaming partner.
