(front) Leipzig Horn Quartet; (rear) Wiener Waldhornverein (Siegfried Schwarzl, far right)

Siegfried Schwarzl was a member and director of the Wiener Waldhornverein (WWV – Vienna Horn Society) and an authority on its history. He was president of the society at its 100th anniversary in 1983 and wrote a book (published in English in 1987) entitled, "The development of horn ensemble music from the romantic era to the present time in Vienna and in other cultural circles."

Schwarzl studied horn with Gottfried von Freiberg and became a member of the Vienna State Opera orchestra, but his music career was interrupted with military duty during the war. Afterward, he directed the stage band of the State Opera, but also studied climatology and became a respected climatologist. He particularly loved the Vienna horn, horn ensembles, and the Vienna Horn Society.

Schwarzl was a member of the IHS Advisory Council (1982-1989). He was honored with the Punto award at the 1985 International Horn Symposium at Towson State University in Baltimore MD, where he gave a lecture/demonstration on the development of horn ensemble music and the Vienna horn. His article about the International Symposium for Brass Instrument Players' Chamber Music in Hungary appears in the October 1985 issue of The Horn Call.

Jack Herrick taught for 30 years at the University of Northern Colorado (1972-2002) and maintained a full performance schedule during that time.

Jack was born in St. Paul in 1946. He started on cornet and switched to horn in 1960 on the advice of his band director, George Regis, at the high school in Stillwater MN. He studied with Christopher Leuba in MN, James Miller and Chuck Kavalovski at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), and an intensive 10-day course with Dale Clevenger in 1973. "All of these men had a great impact on my life and career. I am indebted to each of them for helping to shape my musical life," he says.

Jack joined the US Army and was stationed with the Norad Band in Colorado Springs CO between his undergraduate and graduate studies. During his teaching years, he was a regular sub and extra with the Colorado Symphony, principal with the Denver Chamber Orchestra and Colorado Ballet, and played with the Aries Brass Quintet in Denver and Rocky Mountain Brass Quintet at UNC. He also often participated in clinics and workshops in the Colorado area.

During summers, Jack played in numerous festivals, including the Colorado Festival in Boulder, Central City Opera, Idaho Music Festival in Boise, the Sun Valley Festival, Four Corners Opera in Durango CO, and especially the Peter Britt Music Festival in Jacksonville OR, where he was principal from 1977 until he retired in 2004 and where he appeared as soloist under all three music directors.

While at UNC, Jack recorded the David Amram Concerto for horn and wind orchestra with Gene Corporon conducting. He was a member of Denver Brass, participating in recording numerous CDs and videos, and he recorded Anton Reicha Wind Quintets on Crystal Records with the Westwood Wind Quintet. He was also one of a consortium of hornists (assembled by Thomas Bacon) who commissioned the orchestration and wind ensemble version of Mark Schultz’s Dragons in the Sky.

After retirement in 2004, Jack sold al his instruments and his home and moved with his wife into an RV. "I have discovered there is life after the horn, but I do still miss playing and all the great people I got to work with over the years."

Jack was honored with the Punto Award at the 2008 International Horn Workshop in Denver.

Don Peterson played in the Utah Symphony for 49 years (as principal for 43 years), taught at local schools and universities, and eventually turned to piano tuning. He attributes his ability in piano tuning to his years of playing the horn. "Each note is made with a different embouchure, so you have to hear the note before it is played," he said. "Piano tuning came naturally to me."

Don was born in 1926 and started performing with the Utah Symphony when he was a senior at Provo High School. He was in the US Army for a time, joining in 1943, but the war ended before he could be sent overseas.

Don attended Brigham Young University and the University of Utah and taught at both universities and at Mr. Olympus Junior High in Salt Lake City while continuing to play with the symphony. He traveled with the symphony. "We traveled all over Europe and in all but two countries in South America," he said. "We were the first to play in the new Abravanel Hall, the home of the Utah Symphony in Salt Lake City."

Don learned piano tuning through the Piano Technicians Guild, is a Registered Piano Technician, and has been tuning pianos for over 30 years. He tunes over a hundred pianos for the LDS Church, twice a year. He is also a licensed private pilot, keeping up his license even at age 83.

Don was honored with the Punto award at the 1987 International Horn Symposium at Brigham Young University in Provo UT.

Morris Secon was an inspiration. He was honored as Professor Emeritus at the Eastman School of Music in 2004, but he was perhaps better known to young players as the guy who would tell stories after hours at horn workshops and symposiums in rep sessions. He talked about occasions where he had jumped off a bus on impulse and ended up with a job. His most famous story was about winning an audition by playing a difficult Wagner bass clef E horn solo (Die Walküre) in F − the conductor (Reiner) did not notice the discrepancy and hired him then and there for the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Over the years, and especially in his retirement, Morrie developed a program called The Magic of Music, which featured various types of horns (animal horns, conch shells, alphorn, hose, natural horn, double horn) telling the story of music, and tailored to specific audiences (students, senior citizens, business people, musicians, etc.).

Morrie was born in 1923 and raised in Philadelphia, where his parents owned a bakery. A cousin, David Burchuk, started him on trumpet at age 10. He changed to horn at age 13 on the advice of a school teacher. He studied with Arthur Geithe, who had been brought over from Germany to play principal horn in the Metropolitan Opera, after Geithe came into the bakery and learned by chance that Morrie played horn. Geithe encourage Morrie to sing, and to sing on the horn, which became a hallmark of Morrie’s horn playing and teaching style. Morrie later studied with Lorenzo Sansone at the Juilliard School. He had one lesson with Joseph Franzl, who told him to put his horn in the case and never open the case again. The next summer found them both playing in the same section at Chautauqua. Morrie had played the year before in New Orleans, and the following year in Pittsburgh.

Morrie became principal horn of the Rochester Philharmonic at the age of 21, staying for 15 years (1944-1959) and teaching at Eastman (1950-1959). One day in 1949, his wife came home from a yard sale with stoneware by Glidden Parker, a noted designer. Morrie found out that Parker had barns filled with seconds. He made an agreement with Parker, convinced his brother to open a store in New York City, and soon the Pottery Barn became successful and expanded. Morrie left Rochester, free-lancing in New York City and teaching at Queens College and the Mannes College of Music while working with the pottery business.

Getting back into music full-time in 1968, Morrie was co-principal of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for one year, then became principal of the Rochester Philharmonic again (1969-1982). His designation as Professor Emeritus is confirmed with testimonials from such distinguished students as Meir Rimon, Dale Clevenger, Richard Sebring, Eli Epstein, and Barry Benjamin. After his retirement, Morrie spent much time giving hundreds of his Magic of Music presentations.

Morrie was honored with the Punto award at the 1997 International Horn Symposium in Rochester NY. Articles about him appear in the April 1985, November 1997, and October 2007 issues of The Horn Call.