National Music Festival Appoints Hallie Emerson as Deputy Director

Hallie Emerson

The National Music Festival is proud to announce the appointment of Hallie Emerson as Deputy Director, effective immediately. In this leadership role, Emerson will oversee critical administrative and programmatic functions for both the summer Festival and year-round initiatives, including the Resonance Concert Series and the upcoming relaunch of the Fiddlesticks! Youth Strings Program.

“We are thrilled to welcome Hallie as our Deputy Director,” said Caitlin Patton, Executive Director of the National Music Festival. “Hallie was invaluable to the National Music Festival in a part-time role for several years,” said Patton. “As the Festival grows, Hallie brings much-needed hands-on experience in classical music administration that will allow us to further strengthen our efforts and expand even further.”

Hallie Emerson joins the National Music Festival having earned a Master of Science in Management Studies from the University of Maryland, where she also worked in development and community engagement at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. She has an undergraduate degree in clarinet performance and minor in business administration from the University of Southern Maine.

Her passion for arts administration began as an undergraduate. When she encountered her clarinet mentor Tom Parchman, also the National Music Festival’s Director of Operations and Board member, he encouraged her to pursue her passion for arts administration at the National Music Festival and passed along her name to Patton.

“My ultimate goal is to support the Festival’s efforts to reach as many lives as possible and to help the organization build a sustainable future,” said Emerson. “We want to continue offering a space for musicians to learn and expand their talents while providing world-class performances to our community.”

Emerson will assist in such areas as onboarding of Festival apprentices, coordinating their housing and travel, grant research, donor communications, marketing, and helping to restart the Fiddlesticks! Youth Strings Program, which provides Kent County children the opportunity to learn to play a string instrument at no cost to their families.

National Music Festival and Resonance Concert Series

The National Music Festival advances the lives and careers of promising musicians by providing access to world-class education and performance opportunities. The Festival combines world-class mentor musicians and gifted young professional apprentice musicians for an intense musical experience: mark your calendars for May 31 – June 13, 2026. All apprentices receive full scholarships and housing, mostly with host families in private homes.

The Resonance Concert Series brings five high-quality, intimate performances to Chestertown each year, October through April. Resonance concerts take place on Sundays at 3:00 pm in the Parish Hall at St. Paul’s, Kent.

The lineup of artists for the 2025-2026 season includes:

October 26, 2025: Ayreheart

November 16, 2025: Francesca Anderegg, violin & Joy Cline Phinney, piano

February 22, 2026: Matchstick Percussion

March 15, 2026: Jennifer Parker-Harley, flute & Camilo Carrara, guitar

April 12, 2026: Manuel Barrueco, guitar

Resonance tickets and season passes for Resonance and the 2026 Festival will go on sale September 1, 2025.

The National Music Festival is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org), Kent Cultural Alliance (kentculture.org), Mid-Shore Community Foundation (mscf.org), The Peoples Bank (pbkc.com), and by tax-deductible contributions from music lovers. For more information about the Festival, visit the website at nationalmusic.us or contact [email protected] or (443)480-0221.

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