|
Jerome A. Ashby was known as a member
of the New York Philharmonic but revered
even more as a teacher, mentor, and
human being. Many colleagues and
students hold him in the greatest
affection. He died on December 26, 2007
after a long struggle with prostate
cancer. He said that his last year, when
he drew closer than ever to family and
friends, was the best of his life.
Jerome (known equally as Jerome or
Jerry) was a native of Charleston SC. He
began his studies in the New York City
public schools and graduated from the
High School of the Performing Arts. He
then attended The Juilliard School,
where he was a student of former
Philharmonic principal horn James
Chambers.
After graduating from Juilliard in
1976, Jerome became principal horn in
the UNAM Orchestra in Mexico City. There
he met and married his wife, Patricia
Cantu. He began his tenure with the New
York Philharmonic as Associate Principal
Horn in 1979 at the invitation of Zubin
Mehta and made his Philharmonic solo
debut in April 1982.
In 1989 Jerome played the fourth horn
solo in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony when
Leonard Bernstein conducted members of
the New York and Berlin Philharmonics in
a historic broadcast to celebrate the
fall of the Berlin Wall.
W. Marshall Sealy, a free-lancer in
New York, recalled sharing day care with
Jerome when they were about 10 years
old. Later they formed an all-black horn
quartet with Greg Williams and Bill
Warnick. "Jerome was my inspiration, my
support toward being the best horn
player I could be, my role model, my
motivation, and my closest friend," says
Marshall. Julie Landsman, principal horn
at the Metropolitan Opera and a
colleague of Jerome's at Juilliard,
remarked, "At the funeral service, I was
struck by the fact that almost everyone
there referred to Jerome as 'my best
friend.' The number of 'best friends'
Jerome had is a sure testament to his
generous heart."
Marshall also commented, "Maybe he
was not aware of it, but because of his
high standards for excellence and his
first-class achievements, he opened many
professional doors for other
African-American horn players." Julie
recalled, "Our endless discussions about
our students were invaluable to both of
us. We shared a deep mutual concern for
our students - a love, really, as they
became our children - and I treasure the
memories of these times with him." Alan
Spanjer, second horn in the
Philharmonic, recounted, "Jerry was
completely committed to teaching and his
students. Once we were talking about how
busy he was with teaching so much, and
he said to me, 'That's what it's all
about, isn't it.'"
Erik Ralske, third horn in the
Philharmonic, said, "Jerome taught me a
lot about the horn and about life -
sometimes by example, sometimes with
concise, but gentle words, and often
with his humor. His ardent love of music
and the horn remained a constant
inspiration, and he was unfazed by the
trials of professional life." Howard
Wall, fourth horn in the Philharmonic,
commented, "One of the things I loved
most about his playing was his beautiful
slurs. He was one of the hardest-working
horn players I knew."
An active recitalist and chamber
musician, Jerome appeared at music
festivals around the world. He performed
with The Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center and with New York
Philharmonic ensembles. He also played
in the Gateway Festival at Eastman, a
gathering of black musicians, including
the Bach Brandenburg No. 1 and
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Jerome was a faculty member of The
Juilliard School, Manhattan School of
Music, The Curtis Institute, and the
Aspen Music Festival School. He was
elected an IHS Honorary Member in 2007.
Extended tributes to Jerome appear in
the May 2008 issue of
The
Horn Call.
|
