Musician Feature: Jeffrey Curnow

From our Facebook page:

​Jeffrey Curnow, associate principal trumpet
Hometown: Easton, PA
Orchestra member since: 2001
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What's the best thing about being a trumpet player?
Chicks dig it. Or so I’m told.

How many instruments do you own?
4 C trumpets, 2 B flat trumpets, 2 E flat trumpets, 1 D trumpet, 2 piccolo trumpets and a flugelhorn.

What are some of your hobbies?
Drawing cartoons and jogging. I’m not sure jogging can actually be a hobby but I thought I’d list it here so I don’t look so boring.

You've become quite a successful cartoonist. How did it all start?
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing or doodling. As soon as I could hold a pencil, I guess. I got interested in cartooning after watching The Beatles animated cartoon series on TV when I was a kid. I was fascinated by how the animators could make the cartoon characters look so much like the Beatles with just a few simple lines. That fascination with the art of the caricature got me hooked on Abe Hirschfeld’s work and it kind of took off from there.

Do you have a funny tour or runout story to share?
Usually tour stories are funny after a week, or a year, or perhaps therapy, but almost never are they funny when they’re happening. Like the time I had to play an offstage trumpet part from the roof of the Ford Theater in Vail while a serious thunderstorm was moving in. Up until that moment, it never occurred to me that the trumpet would make a really great lightning rod.

Your wife, Miyo, is a member of our violin section. What is it like to go to work with her?
It’s actually a lot of fun. After a concert, we can compare notes and, most importantly, juicy gossip about our colleagues!

What upcoming programs are you particularly excited to play?
The next program I’m excited to play is the first program on our upcoming Florida tour. Anything we play in 70 degree weather in February is an exciting show. Especially if I have the second half off!