World-Renowned Brass Musicians Descend on Dallas for CancerBlows 2023
What Was Initially a Once-In-a-Lifetime Concert Has Become a Beloved Signature Event
BY Caitlin Clark // 03.16.23
World-renowned brass quintent Canadian Brass at the 2023 CancerBlows in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Carla McDonald)
What: CancerBlows 2023 returned to Dallas on Thursday, March 9, 2023, featuring a legendary lineup of world-renowned brass musicians and benefiting UT Southwestern Medical Center and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.
Where: The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in the Dallas Arts District.
The Scene: The lively CancerBlows is as much an evening of remembrance as it is a crowd-pleasing fundraiser. Just before the evening’s program began, a spotlight landed on a single trumpet on the Meyerson stage followed by a video from the inaugural CancerBlows in 2015, featuring a stunning performance of “Gabriel’s Oboe” (from the 1986 movie The Mission) by the late Ryan Anthony, a beloved Dallas symphony talent who rallied legendary trumpet players to join him for what was initially planned as a once-in-a-lifetime concert event.
Eight years later, CancerBlows by The Ryan Anthony Foundation has become a signature event to raise awareness and money for cancer research. A note in the program shared by Ryan’s wife Niki read, “Tonight, let’s make more memories and celebrate all the things cancer can’t steal. Being here with these amazing musicians and human beings; with family and friends and a huge host of people that I couldn’t have done this without. Being back in Dallas, where it all began, it certainly feels like winning.”
The memorable evening featured world-renowned brass greats such as Allen Vizzutti, Jose Sibaja, and the famous Canadian Brass quintet, along with 10-time Grammy Award-winning musician Arturo Sandoval and jazz trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. A range of songs and musical highlights included “Flight of the Green Hornet,” “Beal Street Blues,” and The Beatles’ “Penny Lane.”
Following the concert, many of the performers joined more than 250 guests for the sold-out After Party Jam in the Meyerson Symphony Center lobby.
Elizabeth Anthony
The Seen: Honorary chairs Diane and Hal Brierley and Nancy Nasher and David Haemisegger were among the guests, as Ryan Anthony’s late wife Niki and their children, Rowan and Jackson Anthony.
