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We continue to add videos by prominent performers and teachers to the Horn Excerpts section of the website, for IHS members only. New this month are six videos by Randy Gardner, discussing excerpts from Dvořak's Symphony No. 9. If you're not a member, JOIN NOW to view these videos.
Ion Balu Interview
l to r: Steve Lewis, Dietmar Dürk, Jacob Medlin, Felix Cantesanu, Ion Balu, on their way to Venice Beach during IHS LA 2015.
Kristina Mascher-Turner: Ion, I can imagine you in your room as a kid, coming up with inventions based on whatever was at hand. Have you always had the urge to create new things?
Ion Balu: When I was six years old, I was sent to a special music school run by the Romanian communist government. I lived in a dorm along with other students, so we didn't have our own private space. I remember very clearly my visits back home, which averaged to about two and a half months a year. Once, I made a very basic, simple radio, and I used my mom's clothes line as an antenna. I made a tiny hole in the window frame, and late at night I would pull in a wire to my radio, and I would just sit there for hours transfixed listening to faraway radio stations. I should mention that under the communists we were so isolated from the world, that it's not even funny. Imagine North Korea now, but with absolutely no computers, internet, cell phone etc. This was the 80's. So, listening to random AM stations was a very cool way (for me) to connect to the outside world.
KMT: Would you say that growing up in a different culture has encouraged you to think outside of the box? If so, how?
IB: Definitely! I think the sheer lack of tools or information helped us come up with extremely creative solutions to problems that would arise. Nowadays, we have the "interwebs", and you can Google anything and basically come up with a solution. Not then. I remember once our football got punctured, and there was no option to buy a new one, I walked around the city and found a shoe repair shop that gave me some contact cement and some leather remnants. I easily patched up the ball.
Another time, I bought an electric guitar, and I completely reshaped the design using just very basic tools. A hack saw, sandpaper, and some auto body filler. I took it to a auto body shop to paint it, and the dude there was mesmerized at how good the finish was, and he offered me a job on the spot, saying something like, "You can make a lot of money fixing dents on cars...". I'm glad I didn't take that job and stayed with my music, otherwise I would've never been here now.
KMT: How did you come to make your first mute? Describe your work space and available materials.
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Austin Larson Plays Ketting
Ab Koster Lesson and Warmup Video
Ab Koster Warmup and Tips
After being asked to make a video including a short lesson and some exercises for the E-News Letter of the IHS, I considered the options and quickly knew what specific topics I would like to share.
During many years of giving masterclasses all over the world some (in my opinion) consistent shortcomings, repeatedly came along. Two of them I want to show you in this video:
1) The position of the hand in the bell, which is very important to develop a very good sound.
2) The way and timing of breathing before a first note to play.In the second part of the video I will show you my warming up exercises.
Warming up is a very important part of playing the horn. My warming up exercises are based on the basics of playing the horn: legato, scales, low register, high register, lip trills, long notes. But in a way that you never will hurt your embouchure. They take about 25 minutes. Try to do this early in the morning and you will feel fine for the whole day. Important is that you take a rest for at least 15 minutes after the warming up.
You can download the scores of the exercises from my website: www.ab-koster.de. Go to “Teaching“, then you will find them under "Exercises."
Hope you enjoy watching the video.
Best regards,
Ab Koster
Austin Larson
Any horn players who are interested in how to prepare for solo competitions would do well to read the excellent advice of our interviewee of the month, the talented, articulate, and all-around nice guy Austin Larson (first prizewinner in both the University and Professional divisions of the International Horn Competition of America as well as Assistant Principal/Utility Horn in the Colorado Symphony.) Austin has also been the recipient of several honors from the IHS, winning the Mansur and Hawkins Awards in 2012, and the Solo Competition in 2011. Happy reading! -Kristina Mascher-Turner
- What is the most challenging piece you have ever been asked to present in a solo competition?
Othmar Schoek Concerto, which I had to play for the final rounds of both the Jeju International Brass Competition in Korea and the International Horn Competition of America just this past summer. I found the piece both very physically strenuous and musically awkward. It is a very difficult piece to sell to the audience in a convincing fashion and from a technical standpoint, it's very user-unfriendly.
- How important a role does physical fitness play for you in your competition preparation? Do you run/swim/bike/do yoga etc.?
Being in good physical shape is very important to my preparation. I find that what I eat really effects my ability to perform. I generally minimize consumption of alcohol, caffeine, salty foods, fatty/fried food, and sweets. Hydration is also a huge factor in my ability to play so I take extra precaution to stay hydrated, especially when traveling. Since I usually eat pretty healthy, I don't change my diet before an audition or competition. I'm not an exercise nut but I also make sure to stay active by walking and biking on a daily basis.
- How, if at all, did your approach change in the lead-up to the IHCA University vs. Professional divisions? (i.e. what have you learned to do differently in the past few years?)
I've competed in the IHCA three times (2009, 2011, and 2015) and each was a very different experience. My first time was the summer after I graduated high school so I didn't really have much of a preparation plan, I just practiced rather haphazardly, ran through the rep a bunch, and that was about it. The second time, when I won the University Division, I was about 1/3 of the way to developing what is my current competition preparation plan. I was more patient with my woodshedding, more disciplined at making sure I had a passage the way I wanted it before continuing, and recorded myself much more consistently. However, I still didn't really have a plan in terms of managing my time and keeping track of my preparation progress throughout the process. The final time, I had a complete preparation plan and a chart to keep track of my progress, which is the same thing I do in auditions. I had all my music divided up into sections and kept a detailed record of what I had worked on so I could see very simply how to best approach each practice session. I also relied much more on singing and mental practice instead of just beating my face up.
