A native of El Paso, Texas, Dr. Virginia Morales is a freelance hornist and music educator in the Boston area. She has performed with orchestras across the United States, Mexico, and Japan.
Prior to moving to Boston, Virginia was a member of the El Paso Wind Symphony, and performed regularly with the Juarez Symphony, the El Paso Symphony, and the Roswell Symphony, in Roswell, New Mexico. Here in New England, Virginia frequently performs with orchestras such as the Portland Symphony, Vermont Symphony, Cape Symphony, and New Bedford Symphony.
Virginia began her career as a soloist at the age of 17, performing Mozart’s Horn Concerto in D Major in concerts across Texas and California. Equally accomplished as a recitalist, she has performed as a soloist across the country, most recently in Boston, eastern Ohio, and Texas. Recent solo highlights include winning 3rd Prize in the Susan Slaughter Solo Horn Competition at the International Women’s Brass Conference in 2022. As a chamber musician, Virginia has performed in several concert series in Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina as a member of the Talis Festival and Academy.
Virginia currently serves as Chair of the Arts Department and Director of Instrumental Music at The Fenn School in Concord, MA. Additionally, Dr. Morales holds a position as Artist Faculty on Horn at The University of Southern Maine, in Portland. As an educator, Virginia has presented master classes at The Boston University Tanglewood Institute, The University of Akron and Tufts University. Virginia considers her efforts in music education to be as important as her career on stage.
Virginia graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music from The University of Texas at El Paso and proceeded to serve for two years as a music educator in the Socorro Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. She then moved to Boston to continue her education, and received her Master of Music degree from Boston University. While at BU, she was awarded a scholarship from the Boston University Women’s Council, which is given by the organization to provide funding to exceptional women pursuing graduate degrees. Dr. Morales earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from BU studying under renowned soloist, Eric Ruske. Her other primary mentors include Richard Lambrecht of the El Paso Symphony, and Michael Winter of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.