Musician spotlight – Molly Parris

Molly Parris is an active member of the Oakville Symphony as a French horn player and Personnel Manager for the orchestra.

Molly first started playing the French horn when she was in high school. She found herself drawn to the challenge and once she started she never looked back.

Molly completed her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Composition at Lakehead University under the directions of Dr. Natalia Lerner and Dr. Evgeny Chugunov. Upon completion of her undergraduate studies, Molly continued her education at the University of Toronto, obtaining a Masters of Music in Piano and Chamber Performance. At U of T she studied under the late Peter Longworth, a past Oakville Symphony soloist.

Molly has performed with many orchestras and musical groups throughout North America and Europe, including the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt, Orchestra de Chambre de Paris, Ed Mirvish productions, and Gershwin Theatre productions.

She joined the Oakville Symphony in 2017 and you can usually spot her in the fourth chair of the horn section. Molly says the best part of playing with the orchestra is the varied repertoire and the friendly atmosphere. She enjoys the orchestra so much that it was an easy decision to step into the role of Personnel Manager.

At home Molly has a dog that is always wanting her attention, especially when practicing. You can find her dog right at her feet, hoping for the odd ear scratch in between playing. If Molly’s dog could talk it would for sure say “Are you done yet so we can cuddle?”

With thanks to Jill Yokoyama, Development Committee Volunteer