Dallas mourns principal trumpet
mainThe Dallas Symphony Orchestra is deeply saddened by the passing of Principal Trumpet Emeritus and great friend Ryan Anthony.
Ryan, who was 49 or 50, had been fighting a rare form of blood and bone-marrow cancer since 2012. He joined the orchestra in 2004 and was named principal in 2008. He stepped back and was named principal trumpet emeritus in June 2019.
How terrible.
This is terrible news . Ryan was both a great person and
great player and I was privileged to work with him and
know him in my time with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Ryan was a mensch and a fine and admired colleague. The students adored and respected him, as did his colleagues in the DSO and at SMU. There is no question; Ryan will be sorely missed.
The entire trumpet community is in mourning. Ryan was one of its most loved and respected members. He was known throughout the world for his amazing musical abilities and great character. But his struggle, since his diagnosis in 2012, his Foundation “Cancer Blows”, and his courage and good grace in fighting this disease made him true hero to anyone who knew of him.
During the fourteen years that I worked with Ryan
in the Dallas Symphony, the thing that stood out for me, in addition to his virtuosity on the trumpet, was his humanity! In spite of all of his medical trials and tribulations during his eight year battle with Multiple Myeloma, Ryan invariably had a smile on his face, a kind word for those with whom he interacted, and a positive spirit! He became a hero to many because of the determined and very public way he attacked his illness. Such grace is a rarity given the circumstances. His enduring legacy is the Ryan Anthony Foundation which has already raised thousands of dollars for cancer research. The “Cancer Blows” concerts he put together in Dallas and elsewhere are the stuff of legends! It was an honor to be his colleague and friend.
A wonderful human and musician. Such a loss. (He was 51.)
I met him once after a Canadian Brass concert in California, the nicest trumpeter I ever met, and I was inspired to continue playing. DAMMIT, Cancer Blows! DAMMIT!
I have been following his story over the years. Such a tragedy.
As a late-stage cancer survivor, the amount of physical and emotional pain is beyond words. But what I found to be even more shocking is that people honestly don’t care…they just sometimes pretend to care out of social obligation. Like when someone asks you “How are you?” That’s simply a sheeple reflex.
When people learn that you have cancer, they tend to distance themselves, perhaps because the situation reminds them of their own mortality. You get the sense that they are more focused on burying you than keeping you alive. It’s at those times when you start seeing everything with absolute clarity and realize that the human condition is pretty pathetic. And this is why we should cherish classical music as the messages conveyed by the great composers can remind us that we are better than that.
One of the best musicians that ever played the trumpet, and the bravest person I’ve ever known. RIP.
https://loudlong.wordpress.com/2020/06/24/ryan-anthony/
Such a handsome, personable, talented a trumpet player to be taken from us “down here” at such a young age. God must have been really desperate for such talent Up There that He couldn’t wait a few more years. Luckily, we have recordings! Thank God. Still, he will be sorely missed. Deepest sympathies to his family.