Dear Kerry and Friends,

I was looking at the American Horn Quartet photos when it dawned on me that the chamber ensemble has been together for a very long time! I was wondering, in times of great stress how do you keep the group from going crazy and splitting? This semester has been way to busy for my brass quintet, as individuals and a group, and as a result one of our members decided he wasn't going to rehearse or perform with us because the tension within the group was way too much for him. Now that I look back I should have seen the signs, but hindsight is 20/20... What do I do when the group chemistry isn't ticking right, or rather, what have you and your group done when things get a little stressful on the job? Do you guys just 'get along' all the time? Any wisdom on the subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Thank you both so much for your residency at A.I.R. Horns 2005!! Thanks equally to Geof, Charlie and David!! I can hardly believe it's been less than two weeks since we parted company.

I sincerely appreciate the enthusiasm and candor with which you each shared your pearls of wisdom during your individual classes over the course of the weekend. The variety of the topics and information discussed were perfectly suited to the overall spirit of the workshop. Thank you!

The American Horn Quartet recital on Saturday evening left everyone within ear-shot feeling absolutely awestruck, hugely humbled, immensely inspired, and extremely exhilarated! (I have had your "groove" from the West Side Story 'mambo' running through my head almost constantly since!) Thank you so much for involving Tom Bacon, Dan Phillips and myself in the octets. I'm sure I speak for them when I say it gave us all a little rush to sit in with your band. ;-)

Actually, I should probably ask a couple of other questions, too:

- How long have you known each other and how did you meet?
- How long have you been playing together?
- Is there "the one who left before they got famous" like Pete Best from the Beatles or the Henri Padovani from the Police? ... or was it the four current members right from the start?

Looking forward to learning more!

Mike