I can consider my life as a music teacher in Brasil as beginning in July of 1968, when I was contracted by Maestro Isaac Karabtchevsky as 1st Horn of the OSB (Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira), as there was a clause in my contract which required me to teach horn. This is how I began an expansive pedagogical life and a profound relationship with the world of “trompistas” in this gigantic country. At that time, the general level of horn playing was not very high, the instrument was considered easy to fail on, and composers of the time avoided writing significant parts for the horn in their pieces. This was not without good reason - trumpet players who were not good enough were moved to horn, but played the in same manner that they had played the trumpet. The foreigners who arrived after World War II (Italians and Germans complicit of involvement with the oppressive regimes) tried playing horn because it was the instrument that was needed most, even though they had no knowledge or studies on the instrument. The exceptions were rare. The study of the horn had no rigidity or planned structure. I tried convincing aspiring youths to study in an organized way, every day, and with a big emphasis on scales and arpeggios. After some time the more dedicated students started to stand out, making for rapid acceptance by the others. Since I was invited to all of the music festivals all over the country, the method spread, and the number of horn players grew with impressive speed as well as the level of playing. A big help were the presentations of duos, trios, quartets, sextets (and more) that we performed at the university and in music festivals. Whenever possible we try to organize master classes with big names of the horn world -Hermann Baumann, Phillip Meyers, Barry Tuckwell, Vladimira Klanska, Radovan Vladkovic, etc. The number of horn students was probably never as high in Brazil as it is now. Today, the most dedicated and hardest working players have an elevated presence as professors in universities, and as professionals in the symphony orchestras. Unfortunately we are facing a political-economical situation in Brazil that is frighteningly moving forward with the liquidation of cultural and artistic values, with the cruel deaths of various traditional groups. Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, a group that has existed for 77 years is closing its doors. In Sao Paulo two groups have been dissolved, and various other Brazilian states have gone through the same problems.

Zdenek Svab received his musical training at the Prague Conservatory of Music (Czech Republic) and his master’s degree in Brazilian Music from the Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). He played first horn in the Opera Split (Yugoslavia) and also taught in the local Music school. Active in Brazil as a soloist, professor, and conductor, he was a founding member of the “Sexteto do Rio”, “Ars Musica”, Ensemble do Rio”, “Camerata Amadeus, and “Metal-Transformacao”.  He served as first horn in the Orquestra Sinfonica Nacional da UFF until 1995. Currently he is professor and conductor responsible for the Youth Symphony Orchestra EMVL (Villa Lobos School of Music), and teaches brass instruments, as well as conducting the Orquestra Sinfonica da Casa da Musica in the Faculdade da Licenciatura em Musica of the Candido Mendes University in Nova Friburgo.

English Translation: Rebecca Holsinger

 English version

Posso considerar a minha vida de professor e músico no Brasil a partir de julho 1968, quando fui contratado pelo Maestro Isaac Karabtchevsky como 1º. Trompista (cornista) da OSB (Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira) Uma clausula do contrato exigia ensino de instrumento. Assim que começou a larga vida pedagógica e profunda convivência com mundo de “trompistas” nesta gigante terra. Na época não erra muito simpática a classe das trompas. Instrumento considerado facilmente falho. Evitava se de fazer uma presença significativa nas peças dos compositores da época. Tinha realmente motivos. Os trompetistas que não poderiam ser aproveitados, passaram tocar a trompa, mas do mesmo jeito como tocavam os trompetes. Os estrangeiros que vieram depois da  II guerra  (italianos e alemãs comprometidos  de envolvimento com os regimes opressores) se aventuraram de tocar a trompa, porque era instrumento que mais precisava, mesmo não tendo conhecimento e nunca estudaram o instrumento. As exceções erram raras. O estudo de instrumento não tinha uma rigidez e estrutura planejada. Tentei convencer os jovens aspirantes de assumir estudo programado, diário e com grande importância para escadas e arpejos. Depois de algum tempo os mais dedicados começaram a se destacar o que deu uma rápida aceitação pelos outros. Como que fui convidado para todos os festivais de música pelo todo país, método se espalhou e classe dos trompistas cresceu com uma velocidade impressionante e nível também.

I grew up in Southern California, in a family where music and the arts were appreciated. As a 13-year-old boy, I have one vivid memory of the glorious sound of the horn and how it impacted my life: I was attending a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The orchestra opened with Tchaikovsky's Symphony #4 (still one of my favorites). I was so inspired and from that moment on, I knew I wanted to play the horn.

The first opportunity I had to learn the horn came a few years later, in the 10th grade, at Los Alamitos High School. Because of my late start, the band director suggested I take a few lessons with the first-chair horn player at the school, Karen Swarthout (who later became my wife!). In addition to Karen, I took private lessons from Ed Jackson and Drew Lowery, two free-lancers in the LA area.

After graduating from high school, I attended California State University Long Beach and began horn study with Fred Fox, a former member of the LA Philharmonic and studio player.

Karen and I both attended CSULB, during which time we also took lessons with James Decker (USC horn teacher and Hollywood studio player). Mr. Decker would often invite us to attend studio calls and we were able to observe the fascinating world of Hollywood studio musicians. Karen and I even had the opportunity to play on a "B" movie soundtrack, "The Hunting Season" (lots of stopped horn and dissonant long tones!).

by Marquis Cahill

When I visited my parents in St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I was planning on staying just a while and then moving on. Things did not go as planned.

 I saw an ad in the local paper for a position at the local college for a theory/piano instructor.  Although I had not played piano in 17 years, I applied. The music director had seen me performing horn in the local calypso tent with a band from St. John -- “reality” (I thought: grim reality!) -- and he felt this displayed a good attitude toward the local culture, a factor in my being hired.     

When this position ended, Caneel Resort invited me to play piano in their fine dining room. Cramming from songbooks led to a decent season as the “dressed-up man playing the piano.” When tourist season and, subsequently, this job ended, I had a chance to housesit on the British island, Jost Van Dyke. This island then had 150 residents (all cousins), no electricity, and no roads. I lived in a simple house on a private beach and went to St. John once a week for an hour of survival-related activities: signing at the unemployment office (a benefit from the college job), getting a check from the post office and cashing it, and buying groceries. This peaceful summer ended when I got a notice of a temporary job filling in for a high-school choir teacher on maternity leave. 

 Although I had never considered being a public school teacher, to my great surprise I loved the job. The lady never came back, and I stayed…for 32 years! I found great satisfaction in leading memorized performances of the Vivaldi Gloria and Magnificat, Bach Cantata 4, Handel’s Messiah, Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, and other works with a choir in black public school. In addition to choir, I taught brass classes and music theory.

Some singers on St. John, a National Park island with 2,500 residents, asked me to form a choir there. This led to 30 years of concerts, touring to other islands, and many friendships. A choir on St. Thomas and some church groups soon asked me to help them, too. Since I was doing so much choral work, I went to the Westminster Choir College in the summers, taking useful classes.