The End of Two Eras in Arizona

Two eras in horn teaching in Arizona will be ending soon. Longtime University of Arizona horn professor Keith Johnson is retiring this year [2007] and former ASU horn professor Ralph Lockwood, retired now for several years, is moving to Ohio.

In honor of the retirement of Dr. Johnson the University of Arizona will host a “Weekend Horn Bash and Reunion” in Tucson April 28-29, 2007. To quote the event website,

The School of Music horn studio is planning a horn festival/celebration to be held the last weekend in April 2007. This is the retirement year for Dr. Keith Johnson, Professor of Horn at The University of Arizona for the past thirty-two years. This Hornfest is to recognize the graduates of the horn studio since 1975, through workshops, master classes, and performances.

Arriving in Arizona just a few years before Dr. Johnson was Ralph Lockwood, who joined the ASU faculty in 1972, after the retirement of John Barrows. Professor Lockwood taught the horn studio until the arrival of Thomas Bacon and still served on the faculty the first two years of my tenure at ASU (in other capacities). This photo shows us ready to play Bruckner 7 in 2003.

I have had nothing but good interactions with both of these men, having given two joint presentations with Dr. Johnson at AMEA events and having performed a number of times with the Phoenix Symphony in sections with Mr. Lockwood; he has been a friend and supporter of the horn studio at ASU whom I much appreciated. Both of these gentlemen will be missed! Best wishes to both.