Thursday, January 24, 2008

Gabriel Banat Mourns Colleague Jerome Ashby



Gabriel Banat, violinist, member of the New York Philharmonic (Retired):

I am still shocked to learn from your last message about the death of my dear friend and colleague, Jerry Ashby. Just two weeks before, when visiting backstage at the New York Philharmonic and we embraced, he seemed in perfect health. Of all the years we worked together, I got to know and admire him best as a musician and an ideal partner, in August 1990 when I had the privilege to lead a group of eleven members of our orchestra to represent the New York Philharmonic at the prestigious "Banhof" chamber music festival in Rolandseck, Germany. During the ten different programs we gave (in only ten days) Jerry and I collaborated in the horn quintet by Mozart, the Spohr Nonet, and the chamber version of "Till Eulenspiegel", by Richard Strauss. The Bonn newspapers praised our ensemble's contribution as above those offered by similar ensembles from the Chicago Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic. I feel privileged to have known him and to have performed with him. I still can't believe he is gone....

Attached find a photo of our last concert in Rolandseck. I stand to the left of Jerry Ashby.

Jerome+Ashby" rel="tag">Jerome Ashby
Gabriel+Banat" rel="tag">Gabriel Banat
Ashby+1999" rel="tag">Ashby 1999
Bahnhof+Rolandseck" rel="tag">Bahnhof Rolandseck
Backstage+Visit" rel="tag">Backstage Visit
Ashby+Tribute" rel="tag">Ashby Tribute

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