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.

Concerto in Cocktail Form

Wed, Nov 11, 2015Wed, Feb 11, 2015 by Holly Mulcahy

What does a concerto taste like? Several months ago, during a post-concert cocktail gathering with members of my orchestra, audience, board, and staff, I began talking with one of the bartenders and wondered aloud if he thought he could capture the essence of a violin concerto in a cocktail. My goal was to offer the cocktail as a device to explain, entice, and invite people to listen to a newer violin work with an open mind and heart. A cocktail like this is really a drinkable metaphor for how to approach the … Continue Reading

A New Discovery

Sun, Jan 25, 2015 by Holly Mulcahy

[box] One of the cool things about the cultural arts scene in Chattanooga is that both artists and audiences alike actively seek out new works. While there is a definite appreciation for the classics, there is a healthy appetite for something new, something dangerous, and something that pushes the core of the human soul to the edge and brings it back safely. Chatting with my stand partner Josh Holritz, Associate Concertmaster of The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, I couldn’t help but feel this kind enthusiasm and excitement for a newer piece for … Continue Reading

What To Wear To The Symphony

Mon, May 23, 2022Mon, Dec 29, 2014 by Holly Mulcahy

Nobody wants to feel out of place when they go to a symphony concert, yet so many patrons wonder if what they are wearing will be acceptable. As helpful and welcoming the orchestras try to be by inviting patrons to wear what they want and emphasizing to come in what is comfortable, many people still want to feel like they are fitting in. If you show up to a concert and sincerely don’t care what you wear, that’s just fine! You are doing what many orchestras invite you to do. But if … Continue Reading

Hi, This Is My Emotional-Support Tarantula

Wed, Jan 31, 2018Tue, Nov 25, 2014 by Holly Mulcahy

There are countless stories of musicians having trouble getting their instruments on airplanes. Even though the American Federation of Musicians’ has helped make it legal and easier for musicians to carry on their instruments, the stories continue. While I have a relatively small instrument that fits in the smallest of commuter jet’s overhead compartments, I still get hassled now and then. “You’re going to have to gate check that,” and “Whose violin is this?! I can’t fit my roller bag in the overhead!” have become my monthly norms as I travel for … Continue Reading

Kids at the Symphony? A How To Guide!

Sat, Dec 3, 2016Tue, Nov 18, 2014 by Holly Mulcahy

Last month, Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) stopped a concert to tell a parent to move herself and her child to a different location in the concert hall because he was afraid the child would disrupt the concert. This caused a fantastic debate about appropriate ages of concert goers, whether children should even be welcome, and if MTT had any ground to stand on with his action. Most orchestras have age limits listed on their websites, and some even offer reduced or free tickets for children. In my own experiences, it’s usually the … Continue Reading