Ryan Anthony, a nationally acclaimed trumpeter who became principal trumpet of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, died Tuesday after an eight-year battle with multiple myeloma. He was 51.
A child prodigy, Anthony came to national attention as a 16-year-old winner of the Seventeen Magazine/General Motors Concerto Competition. The competition’s previous winner was violinist Joshua Bell. After earning two degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, he became a trumpet professor at the Oberlin Conservatory.
For three years, Anthony was a member of the Canadian Brass, one of the most popular ensembles of its kind. He went on to perform with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, St. Louis Symphony and the brass sections of the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic.
Anthony joined the DSO in 2004 as guest principal trumpet, became interim in 2006 and assumed the full title in 2008. He arrived as a “star,” complete with movie-star good looks, but his unassuming manner and enthusiasm quickly won the affection of his colleagues.
“Ryan was the leader for the Dallas Symphony because of his positive outlook on life and his unbelievable ability as a trumpet player,” said fellow trumpeter Kevin Finamore. “It was easy for him because nobody loved being on the stage and performing more than Ryan Anthony. We are all lucky to have had the opportunity to perform with him.”
Anthony played the famous trumpet fanfares opening Mahler’s Fifth Symphony at the start of Jaap van Zweden’s tenure as the DSO’s music director.
“He was a major, major talent,” van Zweden said by phone from Amsterdam. “In a way, he was born to be a soloist, but that is a very difficult life for a trumpet player. He was the talent the orchestra needed. He was a major player in the United States, and in the world, with such a strong and beautiful sound.”
Anthony later joined the faculty of Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts as artist-in-residence, ultimately serving as chair of brass, winds and percussion.
Anthony “completely won the hearts of his colleagues and students,” said Meadows School dean Samuel Holland. “By being unassailably excellent in everything he did, whether it was orchestral performance or chamber music, he commanded respect by his quiet presence. He was as natural and beautiful a teacher as he was a performer. Top students from around the world were beginning to flock to him, and many have already gone on to important positions.”
A complex of physical pains ultimately led to Anthony’s 2012 diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a rare cancer of the white blood cells. Often debilitating treatments included stem cell transplants and multiple rounds of chemotherapy, sometimes daily trips to the hospital and some long stays. With strong support from van Zweden, he played in the orchestra when he could.
When van Zweden announced he was leaving the DSO for the New York Philharmonic, Anthony served on the search committee that ultimately recommended Fabio Luisi as the orchestra’s new music director. After Anthony no longer could commit to performing, he was named principal trumpet emeritus in June 2019. As recently as May, though, he was watching and listening to SMU students’ end-of-semester performances via Zoom while receiving blood transfusions.
“When he got sick,” van Zweden said, “that’s when the real Ryan stood up. Then you could see that kind of mental strength, the fighting spirit and belief in healing — that he could be better. That was a huge struggle.
“Year after year, the doctors were amazed at how strong he kept himself, in shape. All the time, there was something new — now we try this, then this. He was several times in remission, and he and I celebrated sometimes, just a lunch between him and me. We talked about life and family, and what it meant to him psychologically and physically.”
The Ryan Anthony Foundation was established in 2014 to raise funds for cancer research. The following year, the DSO hosted the first in a series of fundraising concerts called “Cancer Blows,” featuring famous trumpeters including Doc Severinsen and Arturo Sandoval.
“He will always be an example for me for how to overcome bad news and deal with it,” van Zweden said. “It is extremely sad what has happened, but I will not remember him as a sad person. I will remember him as a fire and a light in my life, and a light on the stage.”
Survivors include his wife, Niki; his children, Elizabeth and Rowan; his mother, Ruby Styler, and stepfather, Stan Styler; his father, Roy Anthony, and stepmother, Cathi Anthony; and his brother and sister-in-law, R.B. and Shannon Anthony.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a small private memorial service will be held, with a more extensive celebration at a time to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to CancerBlows and The Ryan Anthony Foundation.
