Symphony musician glad he switched horns

Sat, May 17 2008

— BY RUTH RICE
RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM
As principal French horn player for Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Dennis Emert is glad he didn’t follow his childhood dream of playing the saxophone.
Emert, who lives in Monroeville, began lessons on the French horn in sixth grade, when no one wanted to play the horn, including him.
“I wanted to play the saxophone, but I’m glad it worked out this way,” Emert said. “There would be no orchestral work with the saxophone. You might have a sax piece every one to two years.
“This is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Emert has been with the symphony for 24 years, beginning as third horn and then for the past 18 years as principal.
He came to the symphony as a graduate student from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
“I knew about Johnstown Symphony through faculty and students at IUP,” Emert said.
“My teacher was the principal horn for JSO.”
Emert was a substitute horn for a year before becoming a regular symphony member in 1983.
Emert’s first concert as a symphony member was Maestro Istvan Jaray’s audition as conductor.
“Dennis is an extremely talented artist and a wonderful section leader,” Jaray said.
“He’s multitalented with his own orchestra and band and school-related activities,” Jaray said.
“Our relationship is nothing short of terrific.”
Emert is principal over three other French horn players in the symphony, but Jaray said no matter how many players he had beneath him, Emert would take care of them.
Emert also has conducted the symphony’s youth orchestra for three seasons – 1987-88, 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Emert learned how to play his longed-for sax in 10th grade at Cochranton High School, south of Meadville, Crawford County, where he played in the jazz band.
“It was a small school,” he said. “There were 75 in our graduating class.”
Emert has known he wanted to play French horn in a symphony orchestra since high school.
“My eyes were opened to music at district band,” Emert said. “Since I had such a late start, I knew I couldn’t go for horn performance, so I went for education. Now I have the best of both worlds. I can play and teach.”
As instrumental music teacher at Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, Emert instructs fourth-graders and fifth-graders in basic music.
Emert also was band director at Blairsville High School and taught strings at Westmont Hilltop Middle School.
Emert plays with Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, Three Rivers Quartet and Pittsburgh Horn Choir.
Emert also substitutes in other orchestras when he has the chance.

Dennis Emert
What: Principal French horn player for Johnstown Symphony Orchestra.
Residence: Monroeville.
Age: 45.
Education: Received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Employment: Instrumental music teacher for Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh.

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