Testimonials

Richard Nash; first call trombone, Los Angeles recording industry: “Vince DeRosa is the best brass player I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He has been a shining light and tremendous influence in our profession”.

Richard Perissi; French Horn, Los Angeles recording industry: “Vince DeRosa was a giant in the recording industry with an incredible breadth of sound, range, and dynamics.”

Tommy Johnson; first call tuba, Los Angeles recording industry: “Vincent DeRosa was a huge influence on all brass players. Being around him was like having a lesson every time he would play.”

George Price; third horn, Los Angeles Philharmonic (45 years—retired): “Lessons with Vince DeRosa were life changing. He explained the correct fundamentals of playing and instilled a work ethic and dedication that was incredible.”

Jim Thatcher; first call French Horn, Los Angeles recording industry; Professor of Horn, University of Southern Californis: “Vincent DeRosa was the best overall horn player I ever worked with. His style and knowledge, handed down from the famous Brain family of England, left a legacy that we still try to match today. His approach to horn playing can be invaluable to all brass players”.

Malcolm McNab; first call Trumpet, Los Angeles recording industry: “Vince DeRosa set the standard and raised the bar for the horn and made it an incredible solo instrument. He knows more about brass playing than anyone else on the planet.

Kurt Snyder; French horn, Los Angeles recording industry; horn instructor, Idyllwild Arts: “Todd Miller’s work on the playing and teaching of Vincent DeRosa, undoubtedly the greatest studio horn player ever, is on a par with Wind and Song,” the book about Arnold Jacobs. The information in Miller’s book is presented in a clear and concise manner in Vince’s own words. It is of great interest and value to any wind player. I will definitely be using it in my teaching.”

Richard Todd; French horn; Los Angeles recording industry; principal horn, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra: “…Arguably the greatest horn player ever, Vincent DeRosa’s story should be told. His playing changed the way film composers wrote, bringing the horn into the forefront of Hollywood, and the simplicity and clarity of his teaching has created, indeed, continues to create, new generations of professional hornists who are successful in every corner of the world.

John Reynolds; French horn, Los Angeles recording industry; principal horn, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; former principal horn, Pacific Symphony and Opera Pacific: “Having personally experienced the value of the teaching of Vince DeRosa, I feel that a book on his playing and teaching techniques would be a highly significant contribution to the literature, not only for horn players, but for all brass players.”

Ralph Pyle; second horn, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (40 years—retired): “I am certainly glad you are doing a book on Vince DeRosa. Surely there has been no one who has so shaped horn playing and brought a new standard of playing into being. He will always be a giant in music and horn technique”.

Brian O’Connor; French horn, Los Angeles recording industry; horn instructor, University of California, Los Angeles; former president, Los Angeles Recording Musicians Association: “Vincent DeRosa has been an integral part of my life as a friend, mentor, and shining example. I am so thankful that Todd Miller is saving this precious knowledge so that future generations can benefit from it as I have.”

David Duke; French horn, Los Angeles recording industry: “Vincent DeRosa is the ultimate authority on building a foundation for horn playing and how to integrate it in all styles of music. I took lessons from Vince for 40 years and never paid him a dime. Working with him helped me learn the technical and mental aspects of horn playing from the ground up. This book will be unique because no one has ever had the foundation that Vince had, and now this information, in Vince’s own words, will be readily available.”

Armin Steiner: Music Recording Mixer, 20th Century Fox Studios: “Vincent DeRosa is almost certainly the most prolific of all the players that ever worked in the recording business at any time in the history of Hollywood. No one played more sessions, and he is, in all probability, the most revered person in the industry to those who have known him and worked with him for the last 70 years.”

John Williams; Film Composer and Conductor: “Vince DeRosa’s contribution to American music can’t be overstated. He was the premiere first horn player on virtually every recording to come out of Hollywood for over forty years. He represented the pinnacle of instrumental performance and I can honestly say that what I know about writing for the French horn, I learned from him. DeRosa was an inspiration for at least two generations of composers working in Hollywood and beyond. He is respected worldwide and universally regarded as one of the greatest instrumentalists of his generation. It has been a privilege to have worked with him all these many years.”