While music allows our minds to travel in our imaginations, a professional musician’s career often takes them on very literal journeys. This month’s edition of BMC Connects! catches up with a past BMC award winner who has made music across the country and on distant continents.
As a Bellingham High School student, Emily Pesavento née Reppun garnered honors in both the 1998 and 1999 BMC Nicholas Bussard Instrumental Competitions for her horn skill and technique. Emily’s love of the horn blossomed through her experiences with the Seattle Youth Symphony and the Marrowstone Music Festival. Her college training began at the University of Washington, then took her east to Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. The call of the west coast brought her to Los Angeles in 2005.
And it has been a wild, musical ride since then. She is a regular member of the Pageant of the Masters orchestra, Golden State Pops Orchestra, Long Beach Municipal Band, and the all-female horn phenomenon “Playdate.” She has also substituted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony and Pacific Symphony. As if that was not enough, she has become a go-to horn player for recording artists and film productions. Frankly, the celebrity Who’s-Who list is too long to include here, but let’s just say Emily is a busy, busy instrumentalist in Hollywood entertainment circles.
Of course, her performing life has recently changed significantly. “During the pandemic, I have been playing with an outdoor chamber orchestra for fun, and have had some recording sessions and at-home recording work, but no performing work at all,” she told us. “I don’t teach, so luckily I haven’t had to adapt to teaching on Zoom!”
With so many recordings in her portfolio, Emily chose to share with us one of her more unique projects. She and her husband, Victor Pesavento, with two colleagues, participated in a four-horn performance of the South African National Anthem, live on the African plains. The event was a benefit for Nkombe Rhino, a South African Non-Profit Organization dedicated to the protection of endangered and threatened species. CLICK HERE or on the video window at right. More information about Emily can be found on her website, https://emilypesavento.net/.
From the eclectic musical world of Los Angeles to the South African rhino reserves, Emily has brought her joy of the horn to so many. Thank you for supporting the BMC awards programs that gave her a start!