What has been your most memorable experience with the KCOHO?
I have many great memories over the 14 years I have been a member of this orchestra, but theRing Cycle stands out among them for sure. I remember the first time I heard music from theRing; I was in High School, listening to Gotterdammerung with Solti and Vienna. I was transfixed with the horns and how great the writing was, and how LONG the piece was!! I couldnot fathom anyone being able to make it through that entire opera and still have any chops toplay another note. At some point I found out that was just one of four epic operas that make up the Ring Cycle!
Within the Ring Cycle of endless horn solos and section tuttis, there is a single moment that stands out. It is the most extensive, difficult solo written for my instrument in any genre. It lasts over two minutes and is completely unaccompanied. I sat on stage, just outside of the view from the audience, and had to line up my phrases with the singer on stage. I have worked on this piece for many years, but it is quite a different experience to perform it in the context of a 5 ½ hour opera!! While I was waiting to play my solo, I could hear the stage manager speaking into her microphone to cue the singers to come to stage left for their next entrance, the stage-hands running around making noise while doing their part, random extra people from the company standing around while I play my solo, and of course, listening to the orchestra perform the music leading up to my solo. It was quite a lot to take in at once, and took enormous concentration to keep focused on the task at hand. I will never forget the feeling as I began to play the call, followed by the sense of accomplishment and relief when it was finished!! The summer after performing the Ring Cycles, I traveled to New Zealand and had the experience of bungee jumping from one of the highest platforms in the world. The moment leading up to the jump, and the second that I leapt off the platform most closely reminded me of the sensation of playing that Long Call!
To have the opportunity to perform the entire cycle as Principal Horn with the Washington National Opera has been a dream come true! I will forever cherish the memories of the pre-production rehearsals, listening to this great orchestra rise to new heights and knock it out of the park, working with a fantastic team of horn players (about 13 in total involved in the project!), and the absolute rush of adrenaline I experienced playing the famous Siegfried Long Call solo off-stage!!
