Kristina Mascher-Turner: How did you first discover the horn and decide you wanted to play it? How old were you when you began playing?

Ranya Nashat: I discovered the French horn when I was 9 years old at the music and ballet school in Baghdad, where I was a student. The school policy was that they chose what students play. My teacher showed up and introduced me to his shiny French horn - I was mesmerized by the color. My parents were against what they called a “boy's instrument.” They wanted piano or violin or flute, but I was so determined to play the shiny new thing whose name I couldn't spell. The first time I saw an orchestra (Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra ) was in 2005. I saw and recognized my teacher playing. When I got out of the concert, I said to myself, this where I belong.

KMT: How common is it in Iraq for women to play the horn, and for women to make a career of music in general?

RN: It is not very normal for women to play horn in Iraq - I had only heard of one other before I started to play with the orchestra. Now it is only me, so that is why when I started teaching at the music and ballet school I wanted to teach girls more than boys haha! Trying to start my army of French horn girls. Yes, it is okay for women to make a career out of music, but it's challenging. We have 10 female musicians now in the INSO.

KMT: Can you tell us a little about the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra? How old is it, and how did it get started?

RN: The INSO is the Arab world’s oldest orchestra. It was founded in the late 1940's by a group of musicians from the Institute of Fine Arts.

KMT: Do you only play Western classical music, or are you also involved in any other genres, such as traditional folk music or popular music?

Ithaca Impressions: A Video Collage

A Taste of Brazil: Radegundis Tavares shows us how to make tapioca cakes!

by Gail Williams

In thinking about this article, so many people have given wonderful advice and perspective. I thought I would add to what has been written and add some of my soul-searching ideas. How does one teach students to think about the importance of practicing now for the future? We are so worried and stressed about the present; we forget we are preparing for the next 40+ years.

HOW? Let us think about building a big Triangle and the concept of a big base for success and longevity. (these concepts were taken from Hal Higdon’s marathon book). Injuries occur when our training is short, or our base of our triangle is short. Mental training, flexibility, strength and endurance all come from the base of this triangle.

If we think that the left part of the triangle is our left-brain, and right side of triangle is the performing, we can start to build this base and have a very high peak of the triangle for a peak performance.

Mental training, where to start? If I were to have time to list all the books that are now available, this article would be VERY long. But a good starting place would be “Inner Game of Tennis” by Timothy Gallwey, “Audition Success and Performance Success” by Don Greene, “Talent Code” by Daniel Coyle, to name a few, but Everyone needs to find their own focus. Meditation, biofeedback, yoga and many other options are a few suggestions. In this fast paced world, we all need to choose “something”! Learning your best way to “stay in the music,” as Mr. Herseth would say and “always Perform and Sing.”

Whether it’s as a professor (University of Florida Teacher of the Year, Fulbright Senior Lecturer in Nairobi, Kenya,) horn player (orchestral and solo engagements on several continents,) or composer (works performed regularly around the globe,) Paul combines his formidable talents with a gentle, friendly attitude and emphasis on the search for what truly matters in music and life in general: relationship, connection, beauty. Read on for a peek into the mind of this gifted artist! -KMT

Kristina Mascher-Turner: Are you a morning or an evening composer? Where's your favorite place to write music?

Paul Basler: I am a morning composer. My favorite place to compose is in my music studio at home on my Yamaha studio upright piano and also between horn lessons at the University of Florida in my studio.

KMT: Would you say that you belong to a certain "school" of composition?

PB: No!

KMT: I've enjoyed performing your "Ken Bits" around the world over the past several years. Your beautiful "Missa Kenya" also draws its inspiration from Kenyan folk music. Can you tell us about your time as a Fulbright lecturer in Kenya and how it affected you personally and musically?

PB: My year in Kenya (1993-94) and subsequent visits were so special. My music became cleaner and more accessible. I did not need to be so “intellectual.” And I came to realize that relationships are more important than success.

KMT: Which do you enjoy more, playing the horn or writing music?

PB: This is a difficult question to answer! I enjoy both equally!

KMT: Which piece by another composer do you wish you had written?

PB: James Naigus’ Soundings for horn and synthesizer – this is one of the most wonderful new pieces.

KMT: What advice would you give young composers writing for the horn today?

PB: Believe in rests! Really. So many pieces for horn do not have enough rests.

KMT: Your latest premiere at the Northwest Horn Symposium, "Passages" for flute, horn, and piano, came about with the assistance of the Meir Rimon Commissioning Assistance Fund. Do you write all your works nowadays on commission? If not, is there a difference in your process and feeling towards a work when you aren't on a commission? How do you get yourself in the right frame of mind?