Fostoria musician still in tune after 7 decades

FOSTORIA — A person's hopes and dreams sometimes don't evolve into a life's reality.Bill Haworth, however, continues to live the dream that first came to him more than 70 years ago in Fostoria."All I ever wanted to be was a professional musician," the member of Fostoria High School's Class of 1964 said in a phone interview. "I knew I would probably never be a star and that's the way it worked out."But as the years passed from his days of learning to play the piano at age 5, he became accomplished in playing the piano, organ and French horn and worked with some of the biggest names in show business.And now, for the 33rd consecutive year, he's the music director of the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, which started on Sunday in Indianapolis and will continue through May 17. The annual event changes cities each year, so it's taken Haworth nationwide from his home of several years in Flagstaff, Arizona.The final day of the festival, at 2 p.m., will bring about the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival Stage Show Performance in Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall.Months of preparation go into putting together that show, said Haworth, a veteran who played with the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C. after studying music at Indiana University.It begins with about 1,500 recorded auditions through local Veterans Administration offices, Haworth said, and routinely ends with the selection of about 20 individual acts and the development of four production numbers. "When I took over the music directorship, I made sure I prepped everything," Haworth said. "Before we started the festival, I wanted to have charts, I wanted to have printouts for whatever orchestra we were going to have. I never wanted a veteran to be disappointed when he showed up for that. "It was a real learning experience. The program really evolved over time. ... I've been surprised at how long it's lasted over time. You know how arts things go — they're hard to get money for, and when it's sponsored by the government, it can be over at any time. I didn't ever think it would last this long. But, here we are."Haworth's early exposure to music was a byproduct of his father's work, he recalled."I started out playing piano and organ," he said. "My dad was a preacher there, in Fostoria, and with the Church of the Brethren that was on Summit Street. I grew up playing hymns and stuff. ... Hymns are not that easy to play well; they change chords almost every beat."Haworth became involved in the school band program, in which he played French horn, but he never stopped playing piano. He recalled a big moment for him being a performance of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue.""That would have been my sophomore year, and that was a big deal to me, learning that, memorizing it and actually playing it," he said.Haworth transferred to Indiana after a short stint at Manchester University. And, he said, by age 20, he was beginning to get work in accompanying the likes of artists such as Henry Mancini, Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams."I know, growing up, my mother's favorite singer was Johnny Mathis," he said, referring to one of the top-selling recording artists of the 20th century. "When I was out touring with him, and I was still at Indiana, the university, one of the tour stops was in Columbus and my parents were able to come down. I'm sure that was a big thrill for them to see Billy on stage with Johnny Mathis."He said conversations with big-name performers were rare for accompanying musicians, but he once found himself talking with Beverly Sills, "who was probably my favorite opera singer.""That was really amazing," Haworth said. "I don't know what happened that she wanted to talk to a lowly French horn player there, but we sat together by ourselves for about half an hour, talking. That was a big thrill."Haworth said such occasions haven't typically come up in conversation for him."Musicians don't like to talk about that that because it's name-dropping," he said. "And musicians don't like it when people name drop. So, I don't do that very often. You know, playing with Beverly Sills or doing shows with Bob Hope or touring with Johnny Mathis — it doesn't make you somebody. You're just a good player that a contractor can trust and can call you and give you a job."Haworth said that after the week's activities in Indianapolis wrap up, he'll head back to the part-time work he does in Flagstaff."I started playing professionally by the time I was 20," he said. "And I'm still playing professionally. I still play two or three nights a week at a big steakhouse in Flagstaff. I do Broadway-show stuff. From the Kennedy Center to Black Bart's is a long way. But it's still music and I still do the best I can."