My name is Linneah, and I am a musician. I am also an environmentalist, a bartender, an aspiring professional communicator, and a cat lover, but for all my life, musician has come first.
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| The end of my first season with the HPYO |
At the age of 14, I joined the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, where I played for four years. I had the honour of serving as principal oboist and English horn player at various points in those years, as well as a period as a music council member. I got to work with brilliant students, be coached by musicians from the HPO, and travel to Quebec and New Orleans for some collaborations and performances I’ll remember forever. My closest friendships to date were forged in the Saturday morning practices and intensive weekend band camps, as were my sense of responsibility and hard work. The HPYO, and the other musical opportunities I accessed during my high school years, turned me into the person I am today, and I am grateful that I had these chances at such a young age.
I was heartbroken when, at the end of high school, it became clear to me that music as a career was not an option for me. I do not regret the path that I chose, but at the age of 18 I was terrified of leaving behind my musical world. I didn’t know who I was outside of orchestra.
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| Orchestra exchange |
I never imagined that my life would take the path that it did; that four years later I would find myself at Mohawk College pursuing a public relations certificate, and especially not that that certificate would lead me back home to the classical music community in Hamilton. Since October, I have been so incredibly lucky to work with the HPO as a public relations intern, attending their MainStage concerts, working in the office with a group of brilliant women, and reconnecting with the musicians and world I thought I had left behind.
This internship has given me invaluable public relations experience, from writing press releases and social media content to engaging with the public at concerts, and I am excited for the opportunities ahead of me as I continue in this field. Being able to see the industry from backstage rather than onstage is a dream come true.
Several weeks ago, I worked as a camp counsellor for the HPO’s Young Musicians Boot Camp. I loved getting to know the students, and seeing their hard work as they put together a concert in just three days. Several of them were members of the HPYO, and we talked a lot about what it’s like to be an “orch dork” and what kinds of opportunities we have been given as a result of that. One thing that came up a couple of times was their excitement to play on stage at Hamilton Place at the HPO’s Home for the Holidays concert. I played in that concert myself when I was 14, and it still stands out as a highlight of my four years in the HPYO. Nothing made me feel more special than being invited on stage, playing that holiday song medley in front of the biggest audience I had ever seen. Nothing motivated me more to get better at my instrument, so that I would be worthy of the stage I was on. And while I’m not inside the heads of every member of the HPYO, I know that that feeling will be shared by at least a few of them. An opportunity like that can change everything for a young musician. It’s so important to support music education for reasons like this, and I am grateful that the HPO was a part of my growth, as a musician and as a person.
Playing in the HPYO gave me so much: lifelong friendships, cross-country connections, a strong work ethic, and the confident personality I needed to get into professional communications. It meant the world to me that I had the opportunity to work with HPO musicians, that they gave me some of their valuable time and cultivated my love for music, and it is an honour and a privilege to be able to work with them again.
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| lifelong friends |
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