David Cooper (host)

Tell me about the and I know I've asked you this before, but I haven't in a long time.

Tell me about the photo you had on your wall of a certain French horn player with a certain job and you telling yourself like at a young age and throughout many years, like I'm going to have that job when I grow up.

Well, I mean, it was more like a little later on in life.

So visualization is a big part of success for me.

And so I created a vision board that was...

the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Hall and what it looked like from the stage, like looking out at the audience and then what it looked like from the audience looking at the shell.

And then underneath, I wrote David Cooper, Principal Horm, Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

And I did that because I didn't feel like I was...

at the level to be Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony.

But if I looked at that poster and I read it every day, maybe I'd believe it.

And something strange happened.

I mean, like every time I look at it, it would give me a reason to get out of bed because I said, man, I'm not there yet, but I want to be.

And then when I would look at this poster, I would also say like, man, I really want to be there.

This is like my reason for practicing and for trying to do all the hard stuff that I really want to do.

and yeah after i don't know how many years of looking at that poster i think six years of looking at that poster i ended up winning principal horn the chicago symphony but the story wasn't as simple as that you auditioned like a few years they said no to you a few times you went and did a stint what in like berlin or something yeah berlin yeah yeah and i just love that you had this poster you had this this image clear image of your mind in your mind of the job you wanted you didn't let an audition that didn't go well

you know, give you, give you trouble or get depressed about yourself.

You kept trying, you know, you told yourself you were going to get that job and then you did.

And I think around the time I met you was when you first landed the job.

And that's why I was so amazed with what you were saying and why I felt your story was such a powerful one in terms of resilience.

As far as orchestras go and brass sections go, I think the Chicago Symphony was typically the best brass section.