The Usual Suspects

John, whose brother (a veteran bass trombonist with the L.A. Philharmonic), and mother encouraged him to take up the instrument at age 10.  He had no intention of being a professional musician, however.  His original love was repairing motorcycles, and, although his business was doing okay, he realized he had gone about as far as he could.  So, he attended California State University-Northridge and started taking the French horn more seriously.

It turned out to be a good move, as he found himself working with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  One of his early recitals with members of the Philharmonic took place at Cal State Northridge on 21^st July 1986.  They performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Duo in E flat”, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Oboe Quartet” and Thomas Weelkes “Centone No. VI”.

In 1987, he joined the Pacific Symphony Orchestra as their associate principal horn player, and graduated to principal in 1995.

He and trumpeter Burnette Dillon were front and center when the Pacific Symphony took the stage at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on 24^th August 1996.  They each got a solo turn with concerti by Richard Strauss and Giuseppe Tartini.  The Classical Brass concert was rounded out by music of Giovanni Gabrieli, Ottorino Respighi, and Dmitri Shostakovich.

His discography is considerable, and here are but a few highlights:  Bat Out of Hell III:  The Monster is Loose by Meat Loaf; Call Me Irresponsible by Michael Buble; Cool Yule by Bette Midler; Desde el Fondo de Mi Alma by Raphael; The Forest by David Byrne; Hero by Kirk Franklin; Highway Rider by Brad Mehldau; A Romantic Christmas by John Tesh; Serenada Schizophrana by Danny Elfman; To See You by Harry Connick, Jr.; and, Trumpet of the Swan by Jason Robert Brown.

Soundtracks on which he appears include Antwone Fisher, Beyond Borders, Dreamcatcher, The Express, Flags of our Fathers, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Jeepers Creepers 2, The Legend of Zorro, Man on the Moon, The Notebook, Peter Pan, Robots, Signs, Terminator 3:  Rise of the Machines, The Village, War of the Worlds, and X-Men 2.

On the small screen, he can be heard on the scores of Alias and In the Realms of the Unreal.