1st horn   Bob Ashworth

John Pratt   2nd horn

3rd horn  -  position vacant

4th horn - position vacant

Click links for full biographies.

The section, only two of us at present, are now looking for a 4th horn as 

well as a 3rd horn. Annelise Martinsen has decided to leave the opera 

pit and follow a new career as a tranlator for a Danish company in 

Manchester. We wish her well and thank her for her contributions to the 

section over the past 18 months. 

Maggie Houlding, who has always amazed everyone with her creativity

left the orchestra to pursue her picture frame and mirror business. 

Paul Kampen , who left Opera North some time ago now is still to be found 

occasionally in the pit or off-stage as a regular extra player.  He keeps the 

section up to date with hot-off-the-press copies of the the British Horn 

Society's magazine The Horn Player (of which he is the editor)!

Bob is a founder member of the company and has been in the Orchestra of 

Opera North (formerly called the English Northern Philharmonia) since day 

one - 16 October 1978. Maggie was the third person to hold the third horn seat 

(held previously by Stuart Bower and Angus West). John, is the fifth person to 

hold the second horn chair in the OoON - previously Mark Brook, Alison Davies 

(née Jenkins), Michael Murray, Dougie Scarfe. He is actually the first person 

in the orchestra who is actually younger than the orchestra itself!

Over the years the section has been very involved  in British Horn Society

events. John and Bob will frequently be discussing repertoire, dog walking, 

hand horns, Vienna horns, allotments, crosswords and Newcastle United - 

John is an avid fan!

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Annelise, John, Bob and Maggie going up in Sheffield's Lyceum Theatre.

Maggie, Bob, John and Paul