Holly Mulcahy

After hearing Scheherazade at an early age, Holly Mulcahy fell in love with the violin and knew it would be her future. She currently serves as concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. She spends her summers at the celebrated Grand Teton Music Festival. Believing in music as a healing and coping source, Holly founded Arts Capacity, a charitable 501(c)3 which focuses on bringing live chamber music, art, artists, and composers to prisons. Arts Capacity addresses many emotional and character-building issues people face as they prepare for release into society. Holly performs on a 1917 Giovanni Cavani violin, previously owned by the late renowned soloist Eugene Fodor, and a bespoke bow made by award winning master bow maker, Douglas Raguse.

No Conductor, No Problem: Navigating A Conductor-Less Concert, Part 1

Tue, Aug 2, 2016 by Holly Mulcahy

There are no how-to or step-by-step instructional checklists for preparing a conductor-less concert on Wikihow, eHow, Pinterest, or Wikipedia. But generally concertmasters who find themselves in the position of leading a concert without conductor have some kind of prior experience of leading from the concertmaster chair. This experience generally comes from a variety of chamber music experiences or previous conductor-less concerts. So when planning an upcoming conductor-less concert for my orchestra in Chattanooga, it occurred to me that it might be interesting for non-musicians to know the extent of preparation that goes … Continue Reading

I’m a condescending bore. You’re an ignorant dilettante. Please give us money.

Thu, Nov 30, 2023Thu, Jun 2, 2016 by Holly Mulcahy

There is condescension in every field and every aspect of life. You can’t get away from it. But in the nonprofit arts sector the condescending tone needs to stop. And yes, this is somewhat about the snobby affectation classical music can allude to, but it is more about general decency, especially when the coda to any concert experience is asking for money. Here is a list of situations. You decide which conversation is a door opener or door closer. Situation #1 You are a conductor or soloist standing in front of an … Continue Reading

Allowing Voices To Be Heard

Fri, May 12, 2017Mon, May 2, 2016 by Holly Mulcahy

It’s been nearly a month since performing a recital in Walker State Faith and Character Based Prison. The experience was no doubt memorable, but after finally reading all of the surveys prisoners filled out and notes jotted down by prisoner mentor, Alan Bonderud, it was clear we had something uniquely special. The reoccurring theme on the prisoners’ surveys was the impact they felt sharing their emotions or interpretations while experiencing each musical work. There was a distinct value placed on the living composers works and that sentiment was also mentioned a number … Continue Reading

“Tonight I didn’t feel like an inmate”

Fri, May 12, 2017Fri, Apr 8, 2016 by Holly Mulcahy

It is next to impossible to sum up the feelings, the emotional impact, and the shared experiences at the recent violin recital in prison. Performing at Walker State Faith and Character Based Prison was one of those career highlights you don’t really expect, but are utterly grateful for. I published an article leading up to the performance, covering the plan, the reasons, and the hope for sincere impact in the lives of people who are working hard at self-improvement in a challenging environment and/or time in their lives. My expectations were exceeded. … Continue Reading

Thank Your Music Teacher, Part 2

Sat, Mar 12, 2016Fri, Mar 11, 2016 by Holly Mulcahy

I assumed I had missed the opportunity to thank my first music teacher. But I was wrong! After I put out part one of Thank Your Music Teacher, I was notified by my 5th grade orchestra teacher that my elementary school general music teacher was still alive. I immediately sent her a letter of thanks, and one week later she returned the gesture with a lovely note back. It’s impossible to share the amount of joy her letter brought me, but judging from what she wrote to me, she received a great … Continue Reading