Rick Bloom, Tenor Horn
Rick Bloom is a founding member of the Allegheny Brass Band, having participated in the band’s very first performance in 1984. Originally a trumpet player, Rick played trumpet with the band for several years before switching to tenor horn in the 1990’s.
Rick’s performance history includes playing trumpet, tenor horn, and euphonium in a variety of ensembles. Rick is also an accomplished singer and has performed in many choral organizations. Most recently, he was a member of the South Hills Chorale, and in years past he performed with choruses with both the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Rick enjoys all the music played by the ABB, but is particularly fond of the British classics. His favorite band piece is the Welsh song Men of Harlech, known in Welsh as Rhyfelgyrch Gwŷr Harlech. According to Rick, the music speaks for itself, which is a good thing because it’s doubtful that anyone could actually pronounce the name of the piece.
Teresa Huhn, Tenor Horn
Teresa Huhn, a French horn player who plays E-flat tenor horn with the ABB, was a proud member of North Allegheny’s “Marching 300” and Wind Ensemble during the mid 80’s. At Penn State, she was part of the Symphonic Blue Band, Brass Choir, and Horn Choir. She graduated with a major in advertising and a minor in French horn performance. Teresa was a member of the ABB in the early 90’s and began playing once more with the band in 2011. Teresa is a Realtor/Marketing Director.
Melissa Corso, Tenor Horn
Melissa “Mel” Tsaggaris Corso joined the Allegheny Brass Band in 2019 as an Eb tenor horn. She started playing the French horn in the 4th grade and hasn’t stopped! She was a member of district and regional bands, as well as the marching band, at Seneca Valley High School. She continued with wind ensemble and “The Pride of Oklahoma” marching band at the University of Oklahoma while studying meteorology. Mel has played in various local groups, including: the North Pittsburgh Symphonic Band (of which she is currently Board President), the Pittsburgh Savoyards, the Wexford Studio Actors Orchestra, the Pine Creek Community Band and the Ingomar Methodist Church Orchestra. She currently works as the Chief Compliance Officer for a local financial advisory firm in Sewickley, PA.
Ray Heller, Tenor Horn, Librarian
Ray, a retired Licensed Electrical Engineer from Allison Park, PA was a founding member of the band holding down the flugelhorn chair. He relinquished his chair in the late 80’s due to international engineering work for PPG Automitive Glass division and birth of three great but not musically inclined children. Ray returned to the band in 2017 in the cornet section as a utility cornet and back-up flugelhorn. Shoulder replacement surgery in 2023 and a sly comment from Maestro Steve about holding an Eb tenor horn, led to Ray joining the Horn section since holding a tenor horn was much easier than a cornet. Originally from Nazareth, PA, Ray picked up the trumpet from his father who had been principal trumpet for the Air Force Bands at Mitchell Field on Long Island. His first performance was in a talent show in second grade playing two tunes with piano accompaniement. At Nazareth High School he was principal trumpet and student conductor for 2 years.He was also principal trumpet and student conductor for 2 years while at Lehigh University earning a BS in Electrical Engineering. Also during college years, Ray played lead trumpet in a Jazz Band sponsored by Martin Guitar of Nazareth, PA. The band opened concerts for the Big Band legends – Basie, Herman, Ferguson, Kenton, Rich and co-hosted jazz clinics with the Air Force Airmen of Note. Just looking to have fun when not travelling with his job, Ray has bounced around with a number of the Pittsburgh area community bands. His minor non-musical claim to fame is that as head coach of the Hampton High School JV In-Line Hockey team, the team won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Roller Hockey League, Pennsylvania State and AAU National Championships all in the same season. His minor musical claim to fame is ownership of a Bach Stradivarius trumpet made in 1929 with the serial number of 9.