Holly Mulcahy

Anytime there is discussion about changing orchestral dress codes, my ears perk up. Initially, the thought of change is a positive; how wonderful it will be to finally have a uniform appearance on stage with everyone looking sharp. But then reality sets in. Everyone has their own opinion, and debates range from how body types dictate personal choice in attire to whether or not the tuxedo should remain the king of onstage attire. The latest page in this decades long story is from the Baltimore Symphony, who managed to generate some news … Continue Reading

At morning rehearsal, the conductor probably had no idea that his favorite moment in Elgar’s Enigma Variations was documented as such in the violin part. Yet his sentiment was etched above the 6th measure of the variation titled Ysobel by someone sitting on the first stand of the Detroit Symphony. I enjoy coming across these little forensic gifts or memories shared by the last violinists that played the parts. Sometimes you get lucky in photo copies of well used parts; like a CSI investigation you can uncover previous thoughts, mishaps or hilarious points … Continue Reading

There are many lockouts, strikes, and very contentious negotiations going on in the orchestra world these days. With all of the finger pointing going on I want to add something that is getting overlooked; I’ve written about this before, but would like to restate that the music schools in this country need to step up and add more real life training to their curriculum. Granted, some music schools have started offering courses on topics such as handling career obstacles; they’re usually done so under the guise of entrepreneurship training. Even though most of … Continue Reading

While reading the news last week I come across two items which had everything and nothing to do with each other: another school shooting and an obituary of a famous jazz musician. Legendary jazz artist Byard Lancaster who died of cancer last week was quoted in his obituary saying this: “One of the reasons we have violence in the schools is we’ve taken music out of the schools.” Byard was right. Over the past 20 years music and arts education have steadily been cut out of many public schools and we are … Continue Reading