... I’ve always been a truth seeker. I strive to be a truth teller, for better or for worse.
SHELAGH ABATE is an internationally renowned horn player and educator, known for her versatility across classical, contemporary, jazz, and commercial genres. A longtime veteran of New York's demanding freelance scene, she has performed on more than a dozen Broadway shows, including Frozen, The Music Man, Mary Poppins and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. As a frequent performer with prestigious ensembles like The Metropolitan Opera, Mostly Mozart Festival, American Ballet Theater, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Shelagh has collaborated with legendary icons such as Seiji Ozawa, John Williams, Wynton Marsalis, Marin Alsop, Andre Previn, Gunther Schuller, among others. Ms. Abate has recorded and performed with Sting, The Who, Lady Gaga, Trey Anastasio, Joni Mitchell, Brian Wilson, to name a few. A committed educator, Shelagh joined the Berklee College of Music faculty as Assistant Professor in 2022 and has given clinics, masterclasses, lessons and lectured at numerous other institutions. Shelagh is also a longtime faculty member of The Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and is proud to serve the children of Baltimore City Schools as a Teaching Artist for The Baltimore Symphony’s OrchKids. A winner of the Coleman Competition, finalist for the Fischoff and Lyon Chamber Music Competitions she is a founding member of Triton Brass and a strong advocate for chamber music. Shelagh is a proud Stephens Custom Horns artist and continues to inspire through performance and teaching.
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.... when I practice, it’s always nuts and bolts, pushups and sit-ups so that I can build castles in the sky when the time comes.
Recordings
...It’s worth it to even come close. It feels like flying. Like an out of body experience. We practice diligently, endlessly, to achieve and maintain fluency on our instruments so that we may express ourselves without the burden of technical cares.
Pedagogy
As Brass Department Faculty at The Berklee College of Music, Shelagh has a robust studio of aspiring musicians who plan to specialize in various areas of the music industry, ranging from Performance to Film and Video Game Scoring, Audio Recording & Engineering, Music Management and Production. No matter their concentration, developing and refining their horn playing skills is a vital part of their evolution. It is with immense pride that she plays a role in expanding their horizons, as in many cases she is introducing commercial and jazz concepts to her horn players. In doing so, she is preparing tomorrow's musicians to be better prepared for today's industry.
Lecturing for a Professional Development Seminar has also become a huge part of her experience at Berklee. This is very much a mentorship position, a course required for Berklee upperclassmen just prior to graduation as they prepare to enter the professional arena. Sharing her experience as an industry veteran, guiding them through the process of composing professional portfolios is an invaluable part of her students' journey. Artist Statements, Elevator Pitches, Bios, and finally a professional website are all included in her syllabus. Gig etiquette, financial literacy, assistance with navigating visa issues for her international students; all these important topics are tackled. Her students complete each semester ready to take the world by storm.
... The great composers and songwriters build the doorways, but we are the ones to walk through the portals when we succeed.
Performance Highlights
...The truth comes at a cost, but I know I’ve also saved lives – most especially my own by being honest. In music, you know you are hearing someone’s truth when their playing transcends the instrument they’re holding. That is my goal, always.
Publications
The Horn Call, 2013
Feature & Interview with NYC veteran horn player, Frank Donaruma
The Horn Call, 2014
Freelancing 101
The Horn Call, 2014
Freelancing 102
Marylin Bone Kloss' Cornucopia, 2018
Horn Players can Swing!
...I am always left awed. Grateful, sated, connected to something bigger and far more important than me. Also usually trembling, trying to keep my shit together, thinking that finally, my battery is fully charged again. Now, ever the Capricorn, I can begin the next big climb to the next time I’m lucky enough to touch upon it: The Truth.
–Shelagh Abate, January 2024.
What's coming up...
