About Us | CancerBlows

The Mission

Through exciting & unique musical events featuring the talents of brass musicians worldwide, The Ryan Anthony Foundation and CancerBlows raise awareness and money for cancer research and patient support programs with a focus on blood cancers & multiple myeloma.

Ryan Laughing Patron Mag Shoot by Jeremy

The Story

In November 2012, Dallas Symphony Orchestra principal trumpet, Ryan Anthony had just completed a guest appearance with his old group, Canadian Brass and wasn’t feeling well. After the concert, Ryan said he felt like his entire body was “jangling” as he ran off-stage.

Recent chronic aches & pains had sent the then 43-yr old to multiple doctors searching for the cause. Blood tests revealed abnormalities, but multiple doctors reassured him that “it couldn’t be cancer” because Ryan was too young to be a candidate for the types of cancers that caused his symptoms. Fortunately, one doctor decided to test “just in case”. The Monday after the Canadian Brass concert, Ryan & his wife, Niki got the call that no one is prepared for – especially with two young children in elementary school – Ryan had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a terminal cancer of the bone marrow that most often appears in patients 65 and older.

Just 15 years ago, multiple myeloma was a death sentence with a life span of 3-5 years. While the cancer is still considered incurable and terminal, recent, rapid advances in research have greatly extended the life span of newly diagnosed patients and hope for a cure is a real possibility. In 2015 alone, three new drugs were approved for treatment of multiple myeloma by the FDA increasing treatment options by 20%.

During his stem cell transplant, Ryan was overwhelmed with phone calls from trumpet players all over the world. Each one asked what they could do to help, and Ryan jokingly started saying “we’ll all play a concert when I am healthy again and we’ll call it cancer blows”. As the weeks went by, the joke solidified into a real event with an impressive guest list. Soon Ryan & Niki realized it could be more than just something for fun but could be used to raise awareness and money to further the research that helped give their family a future.

When he was diagnosed, Ryan’s hope was to survive long enough to see his children, then just 6 and 11-years-old, graduate from high school. Unfortunately, Ryan was not able to make that goal, passing away in June of 2020, just three days before their oldest child graduated. But his tenacity created The Ryan Anthony Foundation, and his spirit lives on within it. Now Niki and the CancerBlows team are eager to get back to the mission and the music with multiple concerts scheduled during the 2022/23 season as well as a documentary about Ryan’s battle scheduled for release in 2022.

The People

Ryan Anthony

Founder

Ryan Anthony started his accomplished career in trumpet at the tender age of 8, abandoning the violin (much to his parents’ disappointment) in favor of the instrument his grandfather played. By the age of 16, Ryan had won the highly publicized Seventeen Magazine/General Motors Concerto Competition and was one of the only two contestants ever to win the Grand Prize (the other being violinist Joshua Bell).

After graduating with a Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Ryan began his professional career as Second Trumpet in the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Over the course of his career, he also appeared as guest principal trumpet in many orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as well as in the sections of the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic. But Ryan is best known in the orchestral world as Principal Trumpet of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from 2006 until his death in 2020, serving under the baton of legendary maestro Jaap van Zweden. Ryan was named Principal Trumpet Emeritus of the Dallas Symphony in 2019.

Despite his success in the orchestra, Ryan truly thrived as a soloist and member of brass groups, recording and performing worldwide with the famed Canadian Brass, Center City Brass, All-Star Brass, The Brass Band of Battle Creek, Burning River Brass and as co-founder of the trumpet and organ duo, Anthony & Beard with Gary Beard.

Ryan was also a valued educator, leading masterclasses at universities across the United States. He served as Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music before leaving the position to join Canadian Brass. Ryan also acted as Visiting Professor of Practice in Trumpet and Chair of the Winds and Brass Department at Southern Methodist University from 2018 until his passing in 2020.

Additional accolades and awards include:

International Trumpet Guild Honorary Award for lifetime achievement in trumpet. Previous recipients include Herb Alpert, Doc Severinsen, Ronald Romm, Maurice Andre, Louis Armstrong and Rafael Mendez.
Cleveland Institute of Music Alumni Achievement Award
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Courage & Commitment Award
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Spirit of Hope Award

Niki Anthony

President/Executive Director

With over 20 years experience in entertainment and marketing, Niki Anthony has served as the Executive Director of CancerBlows and The Ryan Anthony Foundation since its creation in 2014. She has helped raise over $3 million to support cancer research and patient support programs through CancerBlows’ unique and immersive concert events, recordings and merchandising.

Prior to her work with The Ryan Anthony Foundation, Niki was the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Ericson Group Inc, one of the largest entertainment booking agencies in the southern United States. At Ericson Group, Niki was responsible for contracting, advancing and advising for shows with headline entertainers such as Chicago, Patti LaBelle, Tim McGraw, Bill Cosby and Wynonna. She also supervised major national marketing accounts like Levy Restaurants, Hard Rock Casinos and Harrah’s Entertainment.

Despite the hardships of losing Ryan and the COVID-19 pandemic, Niki looks forward to a return to concerts CancerBlows’ style and carrying on Ryan’s music and mission.

Noelle Dunavant

Treasurer

With over 25 years experience in accounting and business, Noelle Dunavant has served as the treasurer of CancerBlows and The Ryan Anthony Foundation since its creation in 2014.

Prior to her work with The Ryan Anthony Foundation, Noelle was the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of New Day Children’s Theatre, which was namedNonprofit of the Year by the Collierville Chamber of Commerce in 2017. Prior to entering the non-profit sector in 2010, she worked in expatriate and international tax at firms and companies such as Deloitte and International Paper.

Her work with CancerBlows brings her friendship with Niki Anthony full circle as the two have been an infamous duo since elementary school and started their business relationship in high school when they served as Program Director and Music Director for WQOX-FM, the school’s radio station.

The Artists

CancerBlows has been blessed to be supported by hundreds of talented artists. Below are just a few of them. Please visit their websites, follow them on social media and attend their concerts too!