Dallas Symphony Orchestra Musicians Join Faculty

The Division of Music at SMU Meadows School of the Arts is thrilled to announce the addition of four outstanding faculty from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO): Ryan Anthony and Kevin Finamore, trumpet; Barry Hearn, trombone; and Nathan Olson, violin.

Ryan Anthony, previously an adjunct lecturer at Meadows, is now a full-time visiting professor of practice in trumpet and chair of brass and woodwinds. He is principal trumpet of the DSO and a former member of the famed Canadian Brass.

Kevin Finamoreis a new adjunct associate professor of trumpet. He earned an M.M. from Juilliard and is second trumpet of the DSO.

Anthony and Finamore join Meadows following the retirement of Tom Booth, former assistant principal trumpet at the DSO, who served as chair of winds, brass and percussion at Meadows and taught at the school for nearly four decades.

Barry Hearnis the new adjunct associate professor of trombone at Meadows, where he joins longtime faculty member John Kitzman, retired principal trombonist of the DSO and adjunct professor of trombone. Hearn is the current principal trombonist of the DSO. Prior to that he held positions with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.; The United States Army Ceremonial Band in Washington, D.C.; and The United States Army Field Band at Fort Meade, Md.

Nathan Olsonis the new adjunct professor of violin at Meadows, where he joins three prominent faculty members: Emanuel Borok, distinguished artist-in-residence and retired concertmaster of the DSO; Aaron Boyd, professor of practice in violin and director of chamber music; and Diane Kitzman, adjunct associate professor of violin and principal first violin of the DSO. Olson has been co-concertmaster of the DSO since 2011 and is a member of the Baumer String Quartet.

The Division also announced that Haley Hoops, longtime adjunct lecturer of horn, has moved into the position of adjunct associate professor of horn. Hoops, winner of the 2013 International Horn Competition of America, has been second horn player with the DSO since 1999. She began teaching at SMU Meadows in 2001, joining Gregory Hustis, adjunct professor of horn; Hustis served as principal horn of the DSO from 1976 until his retirement in 2012. He has taught at SMU for over 30 years.

“The Music Division is pleased to welcome these fine artists and teachers to the ranks of our distinguished faculty,” said David Mancini, division director. “Our students are truly fortunate to benefit from the wonderful achievements of all their faculty.”

ARTIST BIOS:

Ryan Anthony, Visiting Professor of Practice in Trumpet and Chair of Brass and Woodwinds:

Anthony is principal trumpet of the DSO, has appeared as a guest artist with numerous major orchestras and has presented master classes around the globe. He is a past member of the famed Canadian Brass, with whom he performed in over 100 concerts a year between 2000 and 2004, and was a member of other leading recording and performing ensembles, including the Center City Brass Quintet, Burning River Brass and All-Star Brass. As a 16-year-old prodigy he won the highly publicized Seventeen Magazine/General Motors Concerto Competition – the second person ever to win the Grand Prize after Joshua Bell.He earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and received the school’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2001. Previous academic appointments include assistant professor of trumpet at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and artist/faculty at North Carolina School of the Arts. Anthony was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow and blood) in 2012 and, after a stem cell transplant, started The Ryan Anthony Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses music to promote cancer research. The concerts, called “CancerBlows,” have taken off as an important vehicle for musicians and audiences to unite in finding a cure. The success of CancerBlows and Anthony’s work with patients through music led the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to recognize Anthony as their 2016 “Spirit of Hope” honoree. In addition, the foundation recognized him with its “Courage and Commitment” award in October 2017.

Kevin Finamore, Adjunct Associate Professor of Trumpet:

After completing his Master of Music from The Juilliard School, Finamore won the position of second trumpet in the DSO in 2000. Finamore regularly teaches and gives master classes around the U.S. Previous responsibilities include teaching in the music preparatory department of The Juilliard School. He has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Singapore Symphony, New Jersey Symphony and Sun Valley Summer Music Festival, and has performed as fellow and soloist in the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra. He is also heard on recordings by the American Brass Quintet, Dallas Symphony Brass Quintet and CancerBlows: The Legends. Finamore has appeared as a soloist with the DSO and can be heard on all of the DSO’s recordings made during his tenure. Prior to studies in New York, Finamore received his Bachelor of Music degree from University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Barry Hearn, Adjunct Associate Professor of Trombone:
A native of Bloomington, Texas, Hearn is the principal trombonist of the DSO. Prior to that, he was assistant principal trombonist of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., where he completed seven seasons. Hearn was a member of The United States Army Ceremonial Band in D.C. from 2002 to 2009. Prior to that he was a member of The United States Army Field Band at Fort Meade, Md., from 2000 to 2002. His numerous awards include first place in the International Trombone Association’s Robert Marsteller Solo Competition (1993) and Frank Smith Solo Competition (1996) and grand prize in the International Women’s Brass Conference. Hearn received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from UT-Arlington, a Master of Music from the University of Illinois, and a Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Dr. Per Brevig.

Nathan Olson, Adjunct Professor of Violin:

A native of Berkeley, California, Olson has been co-concertmaster of the DSO since 2011. He served as adjunct faculty at the University of North Texas College of Music 2013-16. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s prestigious Concertmaster Academy, earning a bachelor’s degree and winning the Joseph and Elsie Scharff prize in violin. Olson has performed as a soloist and guest concertmaster with numerous major orchestras across the country and currently serves as concertmaster of the Breckenridge Music Festival. An enthusiastic chamber musician, Olson also is a member of the Baumer String Quartet (BSQ), whose debut recording will be coming out in 2019. The BSQ serves on faculty at the Crowden Chamber Music Workshop and the Monterey Chamber Music Workshop, and has held residencies at multiple universities in the U.S.

For more information about the Division of Music faculty, visit here.