For Sisters man, it's all about the music

Part of the allure of living in Sisters is its eclectic blend of residents that populate our little slice of Heaven, from sports heroes to war veterans, film directors to rodeo cowboys. On any given Sunday, getting your mocha or video or exercising at the gym, you may unknowingly be in the shadow of greatness.

Steve Kraemer seems inconspicuous enough, strolling downtown with his Australian Shepherd "Sheila" or chatting with friends over coffee. Few know his illustrious past. He is a classically trained concert horn player who spent nearly 20 years with the San Antonio Symphony as principal French horn. Most of us uninitiated into the rich and varied world of classical music might recall the French horn's warm, sonorous tones from endless yuletide renditions of "Dance of the Flowers," from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.

A native Californian, Kraemer holds a master's degree in music from the highly regarded Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve in Ohio. His employment with the San Antonio Symphony at the Majestic Theater was his first professional job out of college at the young age of 23. His successful career there spanned over 17 years and outlasted the tenures of multiple conductors and music directors.

Through the years, some of his more memorable collaborations include a sports arena concert with Pavarotti; an evening with multi-talented crooner Mel Torme; a special event with Danny Kaye; several concertos with Russian pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy; and even a night with the incomparable George Burns.

But life playing in a major symphony is not all champagne and roses. Kraemer's initial enthusiasm of putting into practice what he had learned was quickly dampened. The prestige of joining a group of high-caliber musicians comes with a price. There were egos and conflict, personal rivalries, divergent musical styles, and constant pressures to deal with.

He discovered the rigors of playing and practicing six days a week, performing at the pinnacle of abilities whether up to it or not, could have a stressful, draining effect. Playing First Horn carried with it a huge responsibility to honor the position, especially in light of the education he had received.

"I was shaped by the job itself," he said. "My education was merely a point of departure."

Over time, Steve adjusted to the new world he'd entered and formed a better understanding of convergence and a sense of the common good. When he first arrived, the horn section of the San Antonio Symphony was lacking in cohesion and purpose. But with determination and effort they were able to fuse their varied styles into a harmonious ensemble, a unified force contributing to the success of the entire symphony.

His inspiration for music came early on. As a four-year-old kid in 1950s Arcadia, California, Steve was drawn to the horn's noble sound after hearing the stirring Richard Rodgers score for "Victory at Sea," broadcast on NBC television. Sitting in the living room with his father on winter afternoons, aglow in the cathode-ray light, Kraemer fell under the French horn's spell.

"It had a heroic, hard-won, virtuous quality, perfectly suited to the images of our troops in the Pacific. The horn made me think of my father's ordeals in World War II as a Navy Hellcat pilot," Kraemer said. "To me, that sound was Dad."

A day in the life of a professional concert musician during symphony season is one of focus and routine: Tie and tails freshly pressed, horn cleaned and polished, last minute scanning of the material, gearing up for showtime. After a 2-1/2-hour rehearsal, there was an evening concert or sometimes a Sunday matinee.

"Total concentration was one of the biggest challenges. I came to rely on a sort of spiritual revelation, a Zen-like selflessness that enabled me to focus, even when life's distractions tried to pull me away," Kraemer said.

"Uncluttered perception" is Steve's term for this state needed to perform consistently at that exacting level.

"It's the ability of being in the moment 100 percent. And sometimes, amid the struggles and frustrations, when it all came together, there were moments of real ecstasy when my intentions were realized and appreciated by the audience."

Following his career with the San Antonio Symphony, Steve took his horn to Seattle where he was a member of the Seattle Symphony for five years. In addition to his orchestral work, he performed with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Seattle Opera, and numerous chamber music groups. Interspersed through his time in Seattle had been multiple film and television jobs, including a newscast theme song, a 1997 television movie called "Roughriders," and even music for the "Godzilla 2000" cartoon series.

You can hear Kraemer playing the "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" theme song in the 1995 Bruce Willis blockbuster, "Die Hard: With a Vengeance." The tune is featured during the gold bullion vault break-in scene and prominently during the end credits. The symphony's work was also used in the film, "Mr. Holland's Opus," starring Richard Dreyfuss.

Even though Kraemer is now retired from the symphony, he claims "the musician in me is still alive."

He looks forward to the next chapter in his life, pursuing other creative ventures, possibly teaching private students. But he vows to never again put on the white tie and tails.