Holton (Leblanc) - Holton Artists

Holton Artists

The Holton company relied on endorsement by leading artists as one of its primary marketing tools. Often these artists collaborated on the design of instruments that they would then play and promote. Some would subsequently leave Holton to build instruments themselves.

Among these were :

• Frank Holton (1858–1942), the former lead trombone with the Sousa Band and an accomplished performer who could demonstrate his product.
• Ernst Albert Couturier (1869–1950), cornet virtuoso and instrument maker behind the Holton Couturier New Model, performed as a Holton artist from 1907 until starting his own firm in 1916.
• Vincent Bach (1890–1976), cornet and trumpet player and manufacturer of trumpets and mouthpieces performed as a Holton artist in 1917-18 prior to starting his own firm.
• Edward Llewellyn (d. 1936), principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony, began performing as a Holton artist in 1919.
• Renold Schilke (1910–1982), principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony and instrument maker, performed as a member of the Holton-sponsored Chicago Symphony Brass Ensemble in the 1950s.
• Philip Farkas (1914–1992), principal horn of the Chicago Symphony, left what became Schilke Music Products in 1956 and joined with Holton, designing the Holton Farkas Model french horn.
• Maynard Ferguson (1928–2006), trumpet and flugelhorn virtuoso and namesake of the Holton Maynard Ferguson Trumpet line, performed as a Holton artist and designer starting in the 1960s.
• Harvey Phillips (1929–2010), tuba player, professor, creator of the Harvey Phillips Foundation and Tuba Christmas, and namesake of the Holton Phillips Model Tuba teamed with Holton in the 1990s.

Not all ventures with artists were successful. The Holton Falcone Model baritone horn, developed at the end of the 1970s with input from the namesake of the Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival was dropped after only a short run when Leonard Falcone refused to endorse or play on the production version.