The History of the Horn Inspires John Ericson to Create and Teach
John Ericson, assistant professor in the Herberger College School of Music, now calls Tempe home; but teaching, researching and performing horn music takes him all over the country. Ericson hails from Emporia, Kan., and believes that he is a Midwesterner at heart.
"I think my perseverance at studying music is what got me to where I am today - due in part to a strong Midwestern work ethic," Ericson said.
He admits that he didn't seriously begin to study music until he was midway through his undergraduate degree at Emporia State University.
"I often hear students audition for me who are in high school, who are a lot farther along musically than I was at their age," he said.
Ericson believes that his interest in music stems from his need to be creative. His father was a chemistry professor at Emporia State University. Although his father had an interest in music, in the beginning he wanted his son to go into chemistry.
"Soon my dad realized that the arts were more suitable for me - my parents always were very supportive of my interests and talents in music," he said. "My older brother, however, did study chemistry."
Ericson earned his master's degree in performance and Performers Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and his doctorate in brass pedagogy from Indiana University. From 1991-1998 Ericson performed full time in the Nashville Symphony, followed by teaching the horn full time for three years at the Crane School of Music, State University of New York (SUNY) College at Potsdam. His decision to move west and join ASU's brass department in 2001 expanded his creative and teaching outlets significantly.
"Besides giving me the opportunity to work with world class horn students, being at ASU has provided me with opportunities to create materials that I had only thought about previously," he said. "I'm currently working on several book projects and I've released two CDs."
His first solo CD, Les Adeiux, released in 2003 on the Summit label, presents music of Franz Strauss and others for horn and piano. Ericson describes Franz Strauss, the father of composer Richard Strauss, as "the most famous horn player of the late 19th century." His second solo CD, Canto, lyric works for horn and piano by composers including Gliere, Schumann and Nielsen, performed with faculty colleague Eckart Sellheim, debuted in 2005.
Making CDs and being a performer are only a few passions that comprise Ericson's growing resumé. Since the beginning of 2006 he has presented nine lecture-recitals at horn events across the country. In January he gave a presentation on Franz Strauss at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It was then off to a horn retreat in Payson, Ariz., where he presented a workshop on descant and triple horns (used in high-register playing), a presentation repeated soon after at the Midwest Horn Workshop in Wisconsin. This was followed by yet another lecture-recital, this one titled "Go for Baroque," a presentation on baroque horn literature, given at both the Midsouth Horn Workshop in Kansas and at the Southeast Horn Workshop in Louisiana. Other stops included two presentations each at the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa. He enjoys presenting lecture-recitals because he has the chance to share his musical knowledge with others, keep his performance skills sharp and stay on the cutting edge of horn research. Ericson has published more than 20 articles on the history and performance of the horn, mostly in The Horn Call, the journal of the International Horn Society.
"I am probably best known in the horn-playing community for my articles on the history of the horn," he said. "I started writing these when I performed third horn in the Nashville Symphony. In workshop presentations participants can not only learn more about horn history but also learn more about how I would approach teaching and performing those works."
Ericson is off to the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, N.C. this summer where he will perform principal horn in the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and teach half of the horn students at the 400-student music festival.
Back in Tempe, he is currently working on two book projects. The first is with ASU brass colleague Sam Pilafian, working to create a horn version of Pilafian's daily workout for brass players, the second is a method/excerpt book for descant and triple horns.
"I simply want to do my best with every opportunity that arises," he said. "It's all about striking a balance and making the best use of my talents and time."
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