Spokane Symphony's Leonard Byrne

Leonard Byrne, Spokane’s king of big brass instruments, some common and some very uncommon, has died. He was the principal tubist in the Spokane Symphony for 48 years.

Section:Gallery

Wed., Jan. 24, 2024

Leonard Byrne, engineer by day and tuba player at night.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive
Tuba player Leonard Byrne, far left, plays with the Spokane Symphony's Brass Works quintet during a noon time concert in 2002 at the Lincoln Building Plaza.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Review
Leonard Byrne, of the P-Jammers and wearing a crab hat, warms up on his helicon, a brass musical instrument in the tuba family, on April 18, 2015, in Riverfront Park.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review
Assistant principal cellist and principal tubist, Helen and Leonard Byrne of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra.

Courtesy Of Helen And Leonard Byrne
Leonard Byrne plays his tuba with other members of the Spokane Symphony before a "Lights Out" ceremony at the Fox Theater Tuesday morning, November 22, 2005, celebrating the beginning of the historic performance hall's renovation. The renovations will take 18 months to complete.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive
Spokane Symphony members Jennifer Scriggins, Dave Matern, Leonard Byrne, Christopher Cook and Larry Jess, left to right, play at the conclusion of a "Lights Out" ceremony at the Fox Theater Tuesday morning, Nov. 22, 2005. Renovations will begin soon on the 18-month long restoration project.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive
"Nearly all the married couples in the orchestra met in the orchestra," said Leonard Byrne photographed with his wife Helen at the Fox Theater in 2020. There are 20 total couples in the Spokane Symphony family overall. 16 musician couples, two staff couples in administration, and two other couples who are administration married to musicians who are orchestra substitutes.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Review
Jim Cathey, center, watches director Verne Windham, left, and plays his double-bell euphonium upstairs in the Spokane Transit Authority plaza Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. Cathey joined with other low brass players to form an impromptu band of tubas and euphoniums which rehearsed in the morning for an afternoon performance that Windham called TubaChristmas and which he hoped would become an annual event. The group played a program of Christmas carols and holiday-themed music. Behind Cathey is Leonard Byrne, principal tuba player for the Spokane Symphony.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Photo
Leonard Byrne treasurers the many instruments in his collection. The Spokane Symphony Orchestra tubist is pictured in 1987.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive