Neo Classical – Page 37 – Holly Mulcahy on the future of classical music

What Prisoners Taught Me About Music Appreciation

Thu, Dec 1, 2016

by:

Holly Mulcahy

Returning to Walker State Faith and Character Based Prison this past week once again left me with more than I brought in. Joining me on the hour-long recital was Nashville cellist and social worker, Michael Samis. The recital began like it did the last time I played for the men in Walker State: a sample was played and initial impressions were freely shared by the 130 men in the prison gym. The impressions from the prisoners as they shared their thoughts of each piece were touching and I will share those in … Continue Reading

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No Conductor, No Problem Part 4: Seeking Haydn Amongst Friends

Mon, Oct 31, 2016

by:

Holly Mulcahy

Honestly, I started off not caring about Haydn’s 31st Symphony. But studying and preparing the work during the last several months for the upcoming conductor-less concert has been an unexpectedly exciting journey. Before I collected and geeked out over the marked parts from Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) library, before I talked with Crozet Duplantier, music librarian, before I listened to the experiences and advice of Haydn expert and conductor, Nic McGegan, I was lukewarm on the work. After the initial conversations about the piece I felt a new excitement for the … Continue Reading

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No Conductor, No Problem Part 3: Advice From The Top

Mon, Oct 10, 2016

by:

Holly Mulcahy

This is a continuation of the behind the scenes look on my preparation for an upcoming conductorless concert of Haydn Symphony #31. I thought it would be interesting to share the process and methods used by many musicians, both for conducted and conductorless concerts. Concerts are planned months ahead of the performance date, and this upcoming Haydn concert has been on my front burner since July. Within hours of landing in Jackson Hole for my summer orchestra, Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF), I headed first to the GTMF music librarian to begin … Continue Reading

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No Conductor, No Problem Part 2: The Librarian Is Your Friend

Tue, Aug 30, 2016

by:

Holly Mulcahy

Since there are no step-by-step checklists on how to navigate a way through planning a conductor-less concert, I’m sharing the processes and planning as I prepare myself for leading the Chattanooga Symphony’s chamber concert featuring Haydn’s Symphony #31. Planning for an upcoming season, for much of my job as concertmaster, happens in the summer. While I’m performing at the Grand Teton Music Festival, upcoming concerts for Chattanooga Symphony are never far from my mind. Whether I’m bowing CSO parts or practicing CSO repertoire, it’s the all occurring several months ahead of any … Continue Reading

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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

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