Denise Tryon Brings Her Lifelong Bach Project to The Brass Junkies

Nine years after her first appearance on the show, Denise Tryon is back on The Brass Junkies! You can watch the full episode on Denise’s artist page.

Denise is Professor of Horn at Indiana University and the former Fourth Horn of The Philadelphia Orchestra. She just released Borrowed Bach, a recording of the first five Bach Cello Suites on horn, along with a book of her own transcriptions. When she sent me the recording, I hit play while I was working. By the end of the first movement, I had stopped working entirely and said “wow” out loud to an empty office. It is that good.

What I love most about this conversation is how Denise keeps coming back to empowering other musicians to find their own voice. Her book gives you her articulations and breath marks in the front, then every note with no markings in the back so you can make your own choices. That philosophy runs through her teaching, her playing and the way she thinks about a career.

A few of the things we talked about:

• The decision she made at 19 or 20 that became a lifelong, “somewhat nagging” project

• Gail Williams’s request that changed how the book is laid out

• The Gavotte from Suite No. 5 that had her questioning her life choices in the middle of a recording session

• The pizza place discovery she credits as her secret weapon for keeping her face fresh

• The advice from a colleague that changed how she thought about her own career

After the interview, I debuted another new segment, Career Corner, presented by Hitz Academy. Joining me for the first one was Dr. Julia Bell, Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Texas Tech University. Julia shared how she founded the Magnolia Brass Quintet by reaching out to four women she had never met, and why you should never say no on someone else’s behalf. I recorded seven conversations with Julia, and the rest will be coming to The Brass Junkies YouTube channel.

Denise and Julia are both proof that the best careers get built by people willing to put their own version of something out into the world. I hope this episode inspires you to do the same.

Head to Denise’s artist page to watch the full episode, read the show notes and transcript, and hear her first appearance on the show.