Kate Stone – French horn
May 2008 - Nicole Laidler

Even if you’re a die-hard Orchestra London fan, you may have never noticed Kate Stone. The French horn player sits at the very back of the stage, tucked away behind the clarinets and bassoons.

But this relative anonymity doesn’t bother Stone. “One of the most wonderful things about playing in Orchestra London is the person I sit next to, (principal horn) Ron George. He’s such a wonderful person and a great horn player.”

Stone is a Vernon, B.C., native who picked up her first French horn when she was 16 – a relatively late age to begin playing such a notoriously difficult instrument. “I think I picked it up pretty fast because I had already played the trumpet and piano,” says Stone. “I had music in my ear and that’s what you need to play a brass instrument. You’ve got to be able to hear the music before you play it.”

Stone credits much of her success to Richard Ely, her teacher at the University of Victoria. “When I went to university, I didn’t have it in my head to become a professional musician, but I ended up with a really great horn teacher who pushed me along.”
At Ely’s insistence, Stone auditioned for – and won – her very first professional audition with the Victoria Symphony. She joined Orchestra London’s French horn section in 1991 after a three-year stint in Thunder Bay.

Stone is married to another brass player, trombonist Rob Stone, who also performs regularly with Orchestra London. In the off-season, both musicians play at the Stratford Festival.

The Stones have two young children (Harrison, 8, and two-year-old William). Juggling two careers and a family can be a challenge, Stone admits. “Obviously, we have a huge array of babysitters,” she laughs.

However, it’s because of their career demands that the Stones have tailored schooling a little differently. “Because we do work odd hours, we have decided to home-school our oldest son,” says Stone, on a more serious note. “That way we can spend time with him during the day. So far he’s doing really well and it’s been a great experience.”

When Stone and her husband aren’t performing or teaching, they can be found listening to jazz or taking a spin around their outdoor hockey rink. “Rob is a real rink-builder. Whenever it gets cold we have a rink in our yard. And after a warm spell, he’s always out there reviving it.”