Berlin Philharmonic horn is called to Windsor Castle

Berlin Philharmonic horn is called to Windsor Castle

News

norman lebrecht

June 10, 2022

Prince Charles yesterday conferred a Membership of the British Empire (MBE) on Sarah Willis, horn player in the Berlin Philharmonic and possibly its most active online personality.

She tweets: ‘utterly thrilled, grateful & proud in equal measures.’

Comments

  • Andréas Olofsson says:

    Well deserved & Congratulations!

  • MacroV says:

    Outstanding. She is the star of the Digital Concert Hall.

  • Concertgebouw79 says:

    Hope that she will be at the Waldbühne this year like the percussionist Rainer Seegers behind her. They are a part of the soul of the Waldbühne’s concert.

  • Henry williams says:

    She seems a very nice person. Good personality.

  • John Kelly says:

    Such an enthusiastic personality and a great ambassador for the Berlin Phil and for music in general. Her series of “Horn Hangouts” on Youtube are interesting and delightful. Perhaps the best is her visit to Arturo Sandoval’s home in Florida where he plays her horn with considerable aplomb (Ravel Pavane for Dead Princess from memory) and also talks a lot about how the sound a player makes is in the head first and only then in the instrument. He demonstrates with the opening of Mahler 5…..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1SYvXWeoFc

  • Mock Mahler says:

    Born in Bethesda, Maryland

    • Player says:

      As English as the day is long! Well done, Sarah.

      • Don Ciccio says:

        She might have gone through a steady diet of fish and chips and porridge, with the requisite glass of lime juice to drink. But her cockiness is all-American.

  • Shalom Rackovsky says:

    Brava, Sarah! And, perhaps most importantly, let’s not forget that she is a monster horn player…

  • La plus belle voix says:

    She is an amazingly ebullient ambassador for music who deserves all the medals she can get. Without wishing to appear a killjoy, the 21st century with the current war in Ukraine is not the time to award gongs for an empire that, thank god, no longer exists. Hope to get a plethora of thumbs down from royalists and anyone holding anachronistic views.

  • Joel Lazar says:

    Bravissima!

  • Gustavo says:

    I like her dress. EU-blue!

  • music lover says:

    Wonder about the usual frustrated ,misanthropic ,hapless sad sacks giving thumbs down to nice and well deserved comments….

  • tet says:

    Medal of the British “Empire”? As in the empire of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales? Of which Charles will be the future Emperor?

    The only leader who can use the word “empire” these days without irony is Darth Vador ; )

    Congratulations to Sarah Willis, henceforth, Sarah Willis BEM on her passport, who deserves all the medals going her way, whatever they are called.

  • Aleph says:

    Don’t wanna be a killjoy either, but … gotta say it … they are both maskless and inches from each other’s face.

    That’s how the Queen gets infected.

    • Player says:

      You can come out of the bunker now, Private Parts!

    • anon says:

      Masks are history in England. In any case, the preponderance of scientific evidence suggests that masks do not make a significant difference to COVID-19 transmission, but that masks can be harmful to breathing and cause bacterial infection. Moreover, most of us in England, including old Lizzie, have had COVID-19 already (some more than once). Time to get on with life without the burden of a bacteria-riddled dirty rag around our faces.

      • anon2 says:

        eww, that speaks volumes about your personal hygiene

        and no, the science does not even come close to whatever you’re blathering about

  • Larry says:

    A wonderful musician, as is her brother, conductor Alastair Willis.

  • T says:

    That she is and will be performing with her brother in September in South Bend, IN.

  • Robert Holmén says:

    If you think it’s awkward calling those medals “Empire” *now*, imagine what it was like… before there was an Empire!

  • Rabengeraun says:

    Absolutely gorgeous lady – beauty, style, class, elegance – oh, and she happens to be a damn good horn player too

  • Fabio Luisi says:

    Congratulations, dear Sarah!

  • Anthony Sanderson says:

    Great news. She is an excellent communicator and interviewer.

  • Zenaida says:

    So pleased for Sarah Willis! She is the Berlin Phil’s greatest ambassador and an excellent musician! Congratulations!

  • Zandonai says:

    the girl trumpet player Alison Balsom deserves MBE also.

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