What Prisoners Taught Me About Music Appreciation, Part 2
by:
Holly Mulcahy
If you were serving a long-term prison sentence right now, what words or images do you think would come to mind? After this most recent performance at Walker State Faith and Character Based Prison, I asked the prisoners to share two words or themes they wanted connected to the music for the next recital program. (I’ll reveal those later!) The words I had chosen for this recent recital were Space and Intent. I picked pieces that exposed elements of space, whether silences or long phrases, and pieces that captured various tones of ... Continue Reading
What Prisoners Taught Me About Music Appreciation
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
No Conductor, No Problem Part 4: Seeking Haydn Amongst Friends
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
No Conductor, No Problem Part 3: Advice From The Top
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
No Conductor, No Problem Part 2: The Librarian Is Your Friend
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
