Highway Musician
Ongoing project-
The highway keeps moving.
The music stays.
1
The stage of classical music appears effortless. Behind each performance are countless hours of training, preparation, and travel. This project grew out of my life as the spouse of an orchestral musician. Through her, I became familiar with a world that audiences rarely see. Regional musicians often drive long distances between cities and states, sometimes traveling seven hours to reach a rehearsal or performance in Cleveland or Columbus, Ohio.
Most concerts end by 10:00 PM. After the audience leaves, musicians pack their instruments and begin the drive home. People who gathered from different places to perform together return to their separate lives, often traveling alone through the night. A few days later, they may make the same journey again.
I became interested in this repeated movement between travel, rehearsal, performance, and home. Much of a musician's working life happens outside the concert hall, in cars, practice rooms, and the hours spent waiting. These ordinary moments are often overlooked, but they are part of what makes a performance possible.
The project began with photographs made through direct observation. I photographed the spaces surrounding performances, including empty concert halls, practice rooms, and roads at night. As the project developed, I became interested in working more directly with the musicians themselves. I am now creating staged portraits and scenes based on their experiences, allowing observation and collaboration to become part of the same process.
I plan to continue developing *Highway Musician* through photography, moving image, and sound, with the long-term goal of creating a film.
11/10/2026 at Columbus, OH