Mary Beth Orr
“The Singing Horn”, Appalachia and Resilience
Mary Beth Orr is a wonderful award-winning horn player and folk vocal artist. Throughout this moving episode you’ll be hearing short excerpts from her album “The Singing Horn” which celebrates traditional Appalachian songs with Mahler and contemporary works composed for Mary Beth through Vox Novus’ Fifteen Minutes of Fame Project. Mary Beth is currently 3rd Horn of the Grand Rapids Symphony, and she shares the best advice I’ve heard about succeeding at orchestral auditions. This is a longer conversation; Mary Beth experienced a serious accident that threatened her life and then her ability to play the horn and she shares many other difficult personal challenges. I was so moved to hear her story and wisdom and I encourage you to come back and listen to the end.
Video Podcast Transcript
Mary Beth Orr Website The Singing Horn album
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Suggested episodes: Euphonium soloist Bente Illevold, trombonist Hillary Simms of the American Brass Quintet, songwriter Jean Rohe, trombonist Naomi Moon Siegel, Grammy-winning composer and song-writer Carla Patullo who has overcome major personal and health challenges, and the Emmy-winning composer and trombonist J Walter Hawkes with his story overcoming a near-death experience, and finally songwriter, violinist, author and disability rights activist Gaelynn Lea, among so many episodes since 2021.
