Bob Watt Former NEC student survives LA earthquake Cornucopia, February 1994

Some of you remember Bob Watt from his days as a student at NEC and recall the fairy-tale story of his first job. He was still a student in 1970 when he flew out to Los Angeles to audition for the Philharmonic. He got the job, so he left NEC and moved to LA.

Bob's first job is so far his only major job -- the enviable position of Assistant Principal Horn in the LA Phil. He completed his degree at California Arts Institute. He does some teaching, but his main interests outside the orchestra are writing, producing, and horseback riding.

You may have seen Bob's article in The Instrumentalist in July 1992 about the scarcity of blacks in audiences at symphony concerts. This article was originally written for a local black publication, but it was so effective that it was reprinted in several other, more widely distributed, periodicals. Bob has gone on to become a staff writer for the highly regarded Brass Bulletin, published in Switzerland. He has written about getting to know Miles Davis at his home in Malibu, near where Bob's horse was stabled, during the last year of Davis's life.

Another project on the burner is a video, an artistic vision that features horn playing. Horses also figure in the video, in a scene about hunting horns.

Horseback riding doesn't begin to describe it -- it's dressage and classical equestrian ballet. Dressage is best known from the Spanish Riding School of Vienna and began on the battlefields of medieval Europe. Bob trained in Europe and competed until his horse died; because of the time needed for training, he probably won't continue.

Bob played the Strauss 2nd Concerto with the Boston Pops while still a student here, and he continues as a soloist, particularly at summer European festivals. He recently bought a new house in Bel Air that fortunately escaped serious damage in the recent earthquake.

The photos were taken at the Great Wall in China during the 2000 IHS Symposium. You can email Bob at bobwatt@pacbell.net.

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