The Arizona Weekend Horn Bash and Reunion 2007

Just back from a most interesting “horn weekend” in Tucson! A few personal notes.

32 years. First, it was most impressive to see the number and quality of former students back visiting from the studio of Prof. Johnson at the event, staged in honor of his retirement. Keith Johnson joined the faculty at the University of Arizona in 1975! Unless I retire at 70 I won’t make it that long at ASU. He impacted many lives in his 32 years on the faculty at the U of A.

Best horn award. You have to try horns at every event you go to; we have to keep our eyes open. The best horn I tried was the brass version of the custom horn by Jim Patterson, I believe the best of his horns I have ever tried. Would tempt me if I were switching back to a double horn.

Seeing people. One big plus for horn events is seeing old friends and making new ones. I especially enjoyed seeing in-state horn colleague Nancy Sullivan from Northern Arizona University, who along with myself and Richard Todd, conducted mass horn choir numbers.

Panel discussions. You don’t often see panel discussions at horn events but this event featured not one but two, one on teaching on the college level and one on performing in a professional orchestra. I was on the college panel, and I believe both came off well as interesting and informative for those in attendance.

My Teacher. One of the works I performed was one conducted by featured guest artist Richard Todd, My Teacher by Mark Waters. It was written several years ago in honor of the retirement of studio hornist and USC faculty Vincent DeRosa. I performed Wagner tuba on this horn ensemble work along with Bruce Hembd. An excellent work for this event, the title of the work turns your thoughts to your own teachers. This weekend I especially thought of my teacher at Eastman Verne Reynolds as I was conducting …

The largest horn ensemble I have conducted to date. On the final concert the ensemble must have numbered around sixty hornists for the mass choir numbers. I conducted two movements, transcriptions of Schubert works by Verne Reynolds. I had first performed these as a masters degree student at Eastman. They sounded great!

Overtones. One thing I enjoy listening for when conducting a large horn ensemble are overtones. Sometimes you will hear them very clearly, “dancing” around on high counter melodies. I clearly heard several; the one on the last note of the Schubert was quite audible.

Pedagogical approaches. Finally, as a teacher is it interesting to note different approaches to playing and teaching. You can note them at every horn event, especially in the group warm-ups and master classes. For me the most unique thing observed was the muted group warm up by the U of A horn studio the first morning.

One other note. It was announced at the event that Daniel Katzen will be joining the U of A faculty in the fall as the successor to Prof. Johnson. Mr. Katzen has been second horn of the Boston Symphony since 1979 and also currently serves on the faculties of NEC, Boston University, and CalArts. Early in his career he also served as second horn in the Phoenix Symphony; best wishes to him as he begins his tenure in Tucson.

Congratulations again to Prof. Johnson and best wishes to him in retirement.