Performing with a Purpose: Community Engagement that Endures

Co-presentation with Dr. Lauren Hunt

International Horn Symposium, Ghent, Belgium, July 2019

Northeast Horn Workshop, Hofstra University, February 2019

James Madison University, January 2019

In this presentation, we talk about creating diverse, interesting, forward-thinking, and inclusive musical experiences, and also how to take advantage of the unique opportunities that technology affords us. Our talk is especially relevant for those of us who were educated for 20th century careers, but by the time we graduated and began our own careers in the 21st century the world had shifted greatly. The two of us are both conservatory-trained horn players who teach at universities and perform with various orchestras. But we are also arts entrepreneurs and teaching artists with diverse careers who have worked with community engagement programs, performed and designed interactive concerts, and started ensembles from the ground up. As there are fewer orchestral positions available, due to longer careers, budgetary cuts, cultural apathy, and a larger pool of eligible players, music students have collectively found themselves in the strange situation of being unprepared for our careers outside of a narrow lens. Our goal for this presentation is for everyone to leave with new ideas for cultivating a purposeful, fulfilling, impactful career through lasting relationships with other musicians and their community.