What If Program Notes Were Written By Kids?
by:
Holly Mulcahy
Somewhere between our childhood and our adulthood we gain a sense of adventure with the foods we try. No longer are we held hostage by the “no thank you” bite. Now we actively seek new flavors, new ways to cook exotic ingredients, and new variations on old classics. Can you enhance duck confit with sriracha, or how about an avocado butter cream frosting on that blood orange pound cake?* But the tradeoff for adults seems to be our cultural intake. Many of us lose the desire to experience new art, to explore ... Continue Reading
Concerto in Cocktail Form
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
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
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
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
