in memoriam

David Thompson has reported to the horn list that Jerome Ashby, Associate Principal horn of the New York Philharmonic, has died following a long battle with cancer.

Following on the cheer of the holiday season, I am very sorry to be the
bearer of very sad news. However, I have received word that Jerome Ashby,
associate principal horn of the New York Philharmonic, passed away this
morning after a long battle with cancer. He leaves behind five daughters,
the youngest still in elementary school.

I had the honor of working with Jerome when we coincided on the faculty of
the Aspen Music Festival a few years back, but I am sure that many others
who knew him for longer will share their thoughts on their experiences with
Jerome. But I did want to let you all know that we have today lost a very
fine horn player, and a wonderful person - one of the class acts in our
business.

Mr. Ashby's playing can be heard on several cds, as well as the American Horn Quartet's Take 9 recording.

According to Paul Mansur, Milan Yanchich has died.

I was just notified that Milan Yancich died yesterday at the age of 86. Milan was a good friend and a loyal member of IHS. As I recall he served two or three terms on the Advisory council and contributed much through his business, Wind Music, Inc. He was a fine horn player and played and taught in the Rochester, NY Symphony and Eastman School. He was also an author and supplied us all with a lot of great arrangements for horn choir, for ensembles, and solo materials. If I remember correctly, he was largely responsible for the publication of all the Farkas books. We all owe him a great debt of gratitude and thanks. We shall miss him profoundly. To those who didn't know him, I suggest you read his book, A View From The Rear.

An Orchestra Musician's Odyssey - a View from the Rear

As reported by the Baltimore Sun:

Walter A. Lawson, a nationally recognized French horn maker and a former Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musician, died Wednesday of heart disease at Reeders Memorial Home in Boonsboro. The former Catonsville resident was 84.

A 1999 Sun profile said, "Walter Lawson and his boys help others make beautiful music. In their hands, fat rolls of sheet metal and long tubes of copper become the graceful curves and polished bells of some of the world's finest French horns."

His horns each took 187 hours to make. His son Paul, a machinist, built the valves. Another son, Duane, polished and lacquered surfaces. Bruce, the acoustician, made sure each horn had the Lawson signature sound, the article noted.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. June 27 at the Bast Funeral Home, 7606 Old National Pike, Boonsboro.

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