A New Principal Horn of Berlin Phil!!!

Big news for horn world! David Cooper,  the principal horn of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 2013 won the Berlin Phil principal horn audition in December 2016. He is the first American principal horn player in Berlin Philharmonic. 

In April 2017, David Cooper came to HKAPA for a master class. Besides the teaching, he also shared his happiness and experiences. I remember what he said. When

 he was 16, he heard the Berlin Philharmonic concert led by Claudio Abbado. He thought seeing that concert, it was like time stopped and the orchestra played as one instrument. At that moment, he decided that, 'This is what I want to do with my life – I want to play in the Berlin Philharmonic.' But he knew that it was so difficult for an American to play in Berlin Phil which is having a traditional German horn sound. Although it was a one-in-a-million shot, he tried and succeeded at last. He started to take up the position in September 2017.

David Cooper has brought his powerful and elegant American horn sound to lead Berlin Phil’s horn section. Let’s watch the new released Strauss’s Don Juan video to see the new horn sound in Berlin Philharmonic!!!