Canadian Brass - FEATURE STORY

Ryan Anthony Thrills on Trumpet

By Ulla Colgrass, August 2000

Ryan Anthony, trumpeter with the Canadian Brass, carries so many musical genes that his choice of profession seemed inevitable. His talent is backed by six generations of musicians, starting with a Danish court musician, and all current members of the Anthony family in San Diego play instruments.

In the spring of 2000, Ryan, age 31, stepped into the shoes of Ron Romm, who played trumpet with the Canadian Brass for 29 years. Now Ryan and Jens Lindemann alternate on lead trumpet, Jeff Nelsen is the new French horn player, Gene Watts plays trombone and Chuck Daellenbach is on tuba.

"My father is a violinist and music teacher, and my mother plays the cello," says Ryan. It was a family dream to form a string quartet, with Ryan and his brother completing the group, but it was not to be. "My father had a collection of instruments in the garage, and we were asked to pick any instrument we wanted. My brother picked the E-flat alto horn. I had started playing the violin, which kept the family dream alive even though it was reduced to a string trio. Still I would sneak into the garage just to look at the trumpet in its case. I was about seven years old. One day I told my parents that I wanted to play the cornet like my grandpa, and my mother cried all night," says Ryan. The next day he had his first lesson and was on his way.

The sound of brass was already second nature to him, with numerous family members playing in Salvation Army bands. "My family was very involved in education. They would play just for fun or for the community in bands, ensembles or the Salvation Army," says Ryan. "I played solos from very early on."

By the time he reached high school, Ryan was leading a brass quintet, Brasszania, that played professional gigs in places such as Disneyland and SeaWorld. Much of their material was Canadian Brass repertoire, and they boldly imitated the lively stage presentations of their idols. "We even had different colored shoes just like the Canadian Brass," says Ryan with a laugh.

Already on the road, flying in and out of California and playing six shows a day when school was out, Ryan was a well rounded professional when he first met the Canadian Brass face to face. "It was in San Diego at a school workshop. We came on stage all dressed in matching outfits and did our show which was basically their show! They did three tunes and then we did three, and at the end we played together." A video tape of the event shows a keen 17-year old Ryan in his first Canadian Brass performance.
"Chuck and I remember playing with Ryan in California. He really made an impression, and we kept track of him through the years. For us he was a natural choice," says Gene, who founded the Canadian Brass.

Ryan's focus changed somewhat during his studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he got his bachelor's and master's degrees in performance. "I believed that if I wanted to make a living playing trumpet, I'd need to play in an orchestra. The school was very orchestrally oriented, so I adopted that goal. I won my first audition, which was for the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. I played with them for two years, which was a great experience, but it didn't fulfill all of my musical interests. I feel at home doing solo and quintet stuff that's my love, " says Ryan.

He listened to his inner voice and got back on the road to do studio work, solo and chamber engagements. After two years as a musical gypsy, he was offered an assistant professorship in trumpet at the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory. He moved to Cleveland and settled in with his wife Niki, a marketing executive.

"I thought that was as good as it was going to get," he recalls. "I enjoyed teaching and could still pursue my passion for solo and quintet playing. Then one day I came home and heard Jens on my answering machine. "If I got the right number and you are Ryan Anthony: Hey! how are you doing and how would you like to come to Toronto and audition for the Canadian Brass?" Well, I was floored.

"As a child, it was my dream to play in the Canadian Brass, but as an adult I never really thought of that as an option," he laughs. He quickly got a taste of the group's high energy levels when Chuck asked him on a Thursday to start work on Monday!

The charm and musicality of Ryan make him a natural in the Canadian Brass. "What's great for me is show time. I am most comfortable on stage, connecting with the audience. It has been that way since I was seven years old," he says. He has displayed his brilliant solo playing in the Bach and Hummel concertos with the Cleveland Orchestra and Detroit Symphony.

"I felt at home with the Canadian Brass from the first concert with them. The joy of performing has to be genuine; you can't lie to an audience. If you try to fake it, it makes the audience nervous. Whether people know music or not, they always gauge human qualities." As spoken from the Canadian Brass bible!

Still there is much to learn when joining the Canadian Brass - new repertoire, choreography, acting, connecting with audiences, doing master classes, interviews, and keeping body and soul together on the long tours around the world.

"Fortunately, I'm classically trained," says Ryan. "But I have always played jazz. I'm not a great improviser, but I played in a big band in Cleveland for two years. To me, it's natural to play the Bach Toccata and Fugue followed by A Handful of Keys. I never have a music stand in front of me. That makes me uncomfortable and it creates a wall between me and the audience."

There is a considerable age difference between Gene and Chuck, two members of the original Canadian Brass, and the three newcomers who are all in their thirties. "It's not an obstacle," says Ryan. "They treat us as equals. It's always that way in the music world if you do the job well. I hope we will prove to be a refreshing boost to the Canadian Brass."

When asked if he is ready to play in drag, Ryan laughs, "In our Tribute to the Ballet, Gene wears the tutu and that's fine with me. I have played Carmen, though, but I only had to put on a wig."

Since Ryan and Jens split the lead trumpet parts, it was vitally important that they establish rapport. Fortunately they have already formed a strong friendship and play off each other like old pros.

For someone who has performed for 25 of his 31 years, Ryan has had a rich and varied life in music. He looks forward to new adventures as a member of the group he admired as a child.

"When I joined the Canadian Brass, everyone on my block knew about them. That in itself tells the story," he says.

> Visit Ryan's New Site

> Read about Ryan's Departure

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