From German Polka Bands to the Philadelphia Orchestra (by way of Houston) featuring Tony Prisk.

Tony Prisk is in his eleventh season playing second trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Prior to taking the job in Philly, Tony played second trumpet with the Houston Symphony.

See a pattern developing? It’s not an accident, and it’s not because Tony doesn’t have what it takes to be “the man”.

In this episode, we discuss the value of specializing in a niche, such as playing second trumpet in a major symphony, (and why some people feel like they’re “settling” for their position in the Philadelphia Orchestra), an exhortation on Charlier’s Etude #2, why our ego often gets in the way of finding our purpose as musicians and as human beings, and much more.

Here’s a bit of what you’ll hear in this episode:

-Tony describes life in a top 5 orchestra…01:15

-Putting the ego aside, and embracing the role you’ve been given…06:20

-Tony’s personal trumpet journey…08:15

-How you “tell a story” with written music notes on a page…16:30

-Is self-expression or “blending” the ideal in an orchestra?…23:50

-The value of specializing in a role such as second trumpet in an orchestra…33:45

-The advice Tony Prisk would tell his younger self…41:15

–Plus whatever your discerning ears deem worthy of your time and interest…

About the Guest:

Anthony Prisk joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as second trumpet in August 2013. He came from the Houston Symphony, where he was second trumpet for 11 seasons, and the New World Symphony, where he was a trumpet fellow for four seasons. In the past 20 years he has played internationally with several orchestras and music festivals, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Moscow Philharmonic, and many others. He has participated in several music festivals, including Classical Tahoe, the Cabrillo Music Festival, the Spoleto Festival USA, the Tanglewood Music Center, the Pacific Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West, and the Aspen Music Festival. 

Mr. Prisk won two international trumpet competitions through the International Trumpet Guild and Second Prize in the National Trumpet Competition. He was a soloist with the New World Symphony, the Temple Wind Symphony, the Texas Medical Center Orchestra, and several youth orchestras. He can be heard on numerous recordings with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the New World Symphony, the Spoleto Festival Orchestra, and the McGill Symphony. 

Teaching is a passion for Mr. Prisk. He is currently on the faculty at Temple University and the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. He can also be found teaching at summer music festivals including the Philadelphia International Music Festival, the Luzerne Music Center, and the Monteux School and Music Festival. He is also involved with the All City program sponsored by The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Mr. Prisk received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, where he studied with Ray Sasaki and Michael Ewald, and his master’s degree from McGill University, where he studied with Paul Merkelo. His other main influences were John Hagstrom, Michael Sachs, and David Bilger. Mr. Prisk is originally from Lombard, IL, in the suburbs of Chicago and currently resides in South Philadelphia.