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Rich Mingus is the Assistant Principal Horn with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Raised near New York City, he started out wanting to be a pianist, but the sound of the horn infected him early on with its great beauty. He began his professional career as Principal of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. After 5 years, he took over as Principal Horn with the Maracaibo Symphony Orchestra in Venezuela. Three years later, he made his way to Vancouver to begin work with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra as Assistant Principal. Rich teaches horn at the University of British Columbia and was a member of the CBC Radio Orchestra until its demise in 2009. He plays with the Willingdon Church Orchestra and adores playing chamber music, often performing with Ray Kirkham, trumpet, and Gordon Cherry, trombone, VSO colleagues, now retired.  A highlight of Rich’s career would have to be playing principal horn for the Seattle Opera's performances of Wagner's operatic masterpieces in which Ben Heppner, the famous Canadian tenor was singing.