New York Philharmonic

Jerome A. Ashby

In Memoriam: Jerome A. Ashby

The New York Philharmonic deeply mourns the passing, on December 26, 2007, of Jerome A. Ashby, 51, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. Mr. Ashby, the Philharmonic's Associate Principal Horn and Principal Wagner Tuba, joined the Orchestra in 1979; his last performance with the Philharmonic was on December 1, 2007.

Mr. Ashby loved a recording made by the horn section of the Vienna Philharmonic, which he played constantly during his cancer treatment; he particularly loved the final selection, The Evening Prayer from Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, which became his favorite piece of music. To honor him, his colleagues in the Philharmonic's brass section performed it at the beginning of the concert January 3, 2008, as a special tribute.

In an interview that he gave from March 2003 he said: "I'm doing what I love to do most. When I got into the New York Philharmonic, I felt I'd won the lottery!" He will be sorely missed.

Photo: Chris Lee

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