Episode 45: Music Is Meant to Be Shared: The Power of Live Music | Virginia Chamber Orchestra
In a world increasingly lived through screens and digital feeds, something deeply human can be lost: the experience of gathering together, in the same room, to feel music come alive.
What happens when we experience music together?
Join We’re Good Podcasthost Lee Ann Necessary Brownlee inside the Virginia Chamber Orchestra, a Northern Virginia nonprofit working to make live music more accessible, welcoming, and relevant to a new generation. Executive Director John Huling and Principal Flutist Nicolette Oppelt reveal not only why live music matters, but how their own unexpected journeys have deepened their commitment to keeping it alive.
Both came to their roles through unexpected paths. John rebuilt his career after an injury ended his years as a trombonist with the National Symphony Orchestra, while Nicolette found her way back to the flute after once stepping away from performing. Their journeys have given each a renewed enthusiasm, gratitude, and commitment to sharing the art form they love.
That passion comes alive in the Virginia Chamber Orchestra's work throughout Northern Virginia. When the pandemic closed concert halls, the orchestra brought live performances outdoors through Music in the Gardens at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, creating a place for people to safely gather and reconnect. Today, it continues expanding access through intimate performances at Capital One Hall in Tysons, free tickets for veterans, military families and young people, pops and classical programming, and a high school concerto competition that gives emerging musicians the chance to perform with professional artists.
At the heart of it all is a simple belief: music is meant to be shared. Musicians feed off the audience, audiences feel the energy of the performers, and something that can seem formal or intimidating becomes joyful, personal, and communal.
This episode is ultimately about more than classical music. It's about resilience, belonging, arts education, accessibility, community and human connection—and why creating opportunities to experience music together still matters in an increasingly disconnected world.
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