“If you’ve seen a Hollywood movie in the past 30 years, chances are excellent that you’ve heard the majestic horn playing of James Thatcher,” who performed in the scores to Titanic, Avatar, and Frozen, writes David Ng in Tuesday’s (8/4) Los Angeles Times. “Horn players from all over the world converge on Los Angeles this week” for the 47th International Horn Symposium, which runs through Saturday at the Colburn School. In L.A., many players balance classical and Hollywood careers. “Andrew Bain has served as the principal horn for the L.A. Philharmonic for the past four years.… He is currently working on ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ which will be released in December and features a score by John Williams…. In L.A., there are about 300 professional French horn players registered with the AFM, according to the union’s local chapter…. By contrast, there are about 600 trumpet and 575 clarinet players.” The symposium will “involve classes and talks in which musicians both budding and veteran can converse on all sorts of horn-related matters…. ‘It takes a certain determination to play the French horn, more than other instruments,’ said Timothy Jones, solo horn with the London Symphony Orchestra. ‘The horn is a notorious instrument to master.’ ”
Posted August 5, 2015
