Artistry
Applauded by audience, colleagues, and critics, Holly is a champion of new music and living composers. She has performed violin concertos by Jennifer Higdon and James Stephenson and regularly collaborates with living composers for solo, chamber, and full orchestra works.
“Working with Holly Mulcahy was fantastic. She’s a superb musician and a great colleague. I always think my Piano Trio is a great way test for violinists, because it has such wildly varying moods: long and lyrical lines, delicately played, and then racing and driving rhythms, moving at top speeds with intensity. Holly nailed it all splendidly. I would work with her again any chance I could. She was wonderful.”
– Jennifer Higdon; Composer
Her latest project is with renowned composer George S. Clinton on a new concerto: The Rose of Sonora, a violin concerto in five scenes. Premiered in April, 2019 at the Chattanooga Symphony, it has several performances scheduled throughout the 2019/20 season and beyond.
Leadership
Currently, Holly serves as concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, a position she’s held since 2019. She’s also been concertmaster of Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, the traveling concertmaster of the Emmy Award-winning program Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, and guest concertmaster for Columbus Symphony, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and Carmel Symphony.
“As a perpetually-traveling guest conductor, I am fortunate to stand in front of 30 or more major American, Canadian, and international orchestras per year. And as such, I am equally fortunate to regularly work with some of the most talented concertmasters in the symphony world.
I would consider Holly Mulcahy among the upper echelon of those concertmasters. She combines an extraordinary set of skills that I consider optimum as a concertmaster, colleague, and collaborator.”
– George Daugherty, Conductor & Creator of Bugs Bunny at the Symphony.
Advocacy
Holly is passionate about sharing the classical music experience. She engages in a wide range of activities and serves in several formal roles to leverage her enormous social media presence, public speaking persona, and fundraising success to pioneer new methods for demonstrating the benefits of music and the arts. Whether speaking to a group of audience members, engaging with aspiring classical musicians at conservatories and schools of music, one-on-one with donors, or even at 30,000 feet en route to her next event, Holly has long been an innovative leader in culture advocacy.
“For audience development and community engagement built on passion and sincerity, look no further than Holly Mulcahy.”
– Timothy Judd, author of The Listener’s Club
Learn More About Holly’s Partner for Audience Engagement Position
Follow Holly’s Articles Chronicling The Work At Arts Capacity
Social Conscience
In 2016, along with a group of like-minded supporters, Holly founded Arts Capacity, a charitable nonprofit that helps people in need through the power of art, culture, communication, and live music to cope with challenges and develop the capacity to experience change for good. Arts Capacity’s caring, interactive recital approach brings legitimate culture, much of it new, to the prison environment.
Learn More About Holly’s Work Through Arts Capacity