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.

Impressions and Appreciations; a gentle reminder for all artists

Mon, Jun 2, 2014 by Holly Mulcahy

Many times I wish I could go back to my younger self and share what I’ve learned the hard way. I suppose it’s the personal journey and self-discovery through a career that gives the greatest gift, but I can’t help wondering if my career would have been more meaningful early on if only I knew what I know now. So I take what I’ve learned and pass it to my students and young professionals seeking advice. This is the final part of the series called “Do Over.” After discussing approaches to life … Continue Reading

The Rite Reward

Sun, May 4, 2014Sun, May 4, 2014 by Holly Mulcahy

Big journeys take preparation, patience, and perseverance, and finishing my first year with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera was no different. Our last concert of the season was a challenging program: Shostakovich Cello Concerto #1 and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. The Rite of Spring is not the easiest of pieces to pull off, but Chattanooga Symphony nailed it beautifully. The amount of personal preparation can take months of studying scores, listening to recordings, watching YouTube videos, and of course individual practice. At the first rehearsal everyone summoned their personal ground work and … Continue Reading

Graceful, Not Wasteful

Mon, Apr 14, 2014Sun, Apr 13, 2014 by Holly Mulcahy

The “do-over” is something we never get in life. One my list of things I wish I could “do-over” is to take better care of myself and save more money during my college and early professional years. This is the second part in my three part series of things I wish I could go back and tell my younger self. The first article in the series was about how to be happy and treat our fellow humans. This installment focuses on eating better, saving money, and wasting less. It’s definitely not the … Continue Reading

Snow Day, Snow Hill, and Symphonic Solutions

Tue, Mar 25, 2014 by Holly Mulcahy

It’s been a long, long winter for just about everyone in the country. The “Polar Vortex” blamed for the freezing temperatures, snow, and ice impacted so many! But it’s these weather challenges that create memorable situations; during my weeks in Chattanooga, the snow and cold brought out the best in everyone. Snow Hill The one of the many cool things the board members and administration of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera have is the ability to enjoy and appreciate all kinds of music. When I was invited to come enjoy a bluegrass … Continue Reading

Happiness Quantified, Humanist Qualified

Sun, Nov 15, 2015Fri, Feb 14, 2014 by Holly Mulcahy

There is a point where we all want to go back in time and shake some sense into our younger selves. Since that is not a possibility, I’ve been passing on to students and young professionals what I think I would have found useful in music school. This is the first of a three part series I introduced last month. In each part of the series I touch on ideas I would have found helpful years ago. This month I’m touching on the importance of happiness. Happiness Quantified; Finding, Keeping, and Practicing … Continue Reading