Molly McDonald is a violinist in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), and member of the Salaff Quartet. She did her undergraduate degree in violin performance at the Eastman School of Music and her masters at the Cleveland Institute of Music before winning a one year position with the RPO. Throughout the interview she shares her experiences from growing up performing folk music with her parents, entering a professional orchestra while finishing up her masters, and taking auditions and moving around the violin section within the RPO. Molly shares such thoughtful insights into taking auditions, playing in a professional orchestra, and balancing family life as a wife and a mother to two children, alongside her musical career. She also has a super fun side hustle of flower arranging.CONNECT WITH MOLLYSalaff String Quartet: https://www.salaffquartet.comRPO Website: https://rpo.org/news/member/molly-werts-mcdonald/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molly_greetings/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/molly.werts.7Stems For Change: https://www.facebook.com/stemsforchangeMOLLY’S EPISODE RESOURCESFav Composer: BrahmsFav Piece of Classical Music: Beethoven’s Op.59 Razumovsky String Quartets - the Dover Quartet RecordingFav Movie Soundtrack: AmélieGenre of Music: Folk Music; Nickel Creek; Danish Quartet’s Last LeafCurrently Reading: The Tao of the Side Hustle; This is Vegan PropagandaMusician You Admire: Yo Yo Ma and Willa FinckResource Recommendation: The Art of ViolinAudible Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3PDwFu3⁠⁠⁠Amazon Music Free Trial: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/45289IV⁠⁠⁠⁠TIMECODESORCHESTRATING YOUR CAREER YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCPf5xynqMHcFuQhCWrNCQInstagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/orchestratingyourcareer/Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/orchestratingyourcareerABOUT THE HOSTRebekah Carpio received her BMus in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded a Fulbright grant to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in their Orchestral Artistry program, which was in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra. She then went on to receive her PhD, also from the Guildhall School, researching the impact of education and community work in conservatoire training. CONNECT WITH REBEKAHInstagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/bitesbybekah Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bitesbybekah.com⁠⁠⁠; Dear Reader NewsletterMUSIC IN THIS EPISODETheme Music composed by Ben Roundtree: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z6dZJL6GM⁠ Molly and the Salaff Quartet’s Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjx4l7XySscPHOTO CREDITRPOSalaff QuartetESMCIMJuliana AthaydeMelioraEver Better*OYC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to ⁠Amazon.com⁠ and affiliated sites. Thank you for your support!