Ryan Anthony

Ryan Anthony passed away Tuesday, June 23, 2020 after a courageous eight year battle with Multiple Myeloma.

Known equally as a chamber musician, orchestral musician, and soloist, Ryan Anthony was principal trumpet emeritus with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He was also Visiting Professor of Practice in Trumpet and Head of Winds/Brass at Southern Methodist University. He has appeared as guest principal trumpet with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony and Colorado Symphony, and in sections of the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic. 

Previous academic appointments for Anthony include assistant professor of trumpet at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and artist/faculty at North Carolina School of the Arts. His master classes have spanned the globe at leading conservatories in Europe, Asia and North America. He was a Yamaha artist and has edited and recorded both the Haydn and Hummel trumpet concertos for Hal Leonard Publishing. A B.M. and M.M. graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Anthony received the school’s Alumni Achievement Award in 2001.

As a chamber musician, Anthony’s career is extensive and well-known. Selected to replace the legendary Canadian Brass trumpeter Ronald Romm, he helped lead the famed ensemble in over 100 concerts a year between 2000 and 2004. As a member of Center City Brass Quintet, he can be heard on their recordings, considered to be the standard in brass repertoire. In addition, he was a founding member of Burning River Brass and All-Star Brass, both considered leading recording and performance ensembles. Additional chamber recordings with Anthony include recordings by the International Celebrity Trumpet Ensemble, Brass Band of Battle Creek and the Anthony & Beard duo for trumpet and keyboard, as well as his own solo recordings on Opening Day Entertainment Group.

Anthony’s solo career started as a 16-year-old prodigy when he won the highly publicized Seventeen Magazine/General Motors Concerto Competition—the second person ever to win the Grand Prize after Joshua Bell. Current seasons will include solo appearances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, Arizona Musicfest, Winston-Salem Symphony, Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, Greenwich Symphony, Arkansas Philharmonic, Dallas Wind Symphony, the National Trumpet Competition and the International Trumpet Guild Conference, where he will be a featured artist.

Fall 2012 brought a change to Anthony’s life and career with a diagnosis of an incurable cancer. After a stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow and blood), he 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.

The International Trumpet Guild awarded Anthony the ITG Honorary Award at the 2019 Conference in Miami, Florida.

Anthony was 51 years old.