Author Archives: Angela

About Angela

French hornist Angela Cordell Bilger enjoys a freelance career as a chamber musician, orchestral player, and educator. She recently moved to the Chicago area from Philadelphia where she was second horn with Opera Philadelphia. She plays frequently with The Philadelphia Orchestra where she spent the 2008-2009 and 2016-2017 seasons as acting fourth horn. She recently joined the Chicago-based Sapphire Woodwind Quintet and coaches chamber music at Northwestern University and Midwest Young Artists Conservatory. During her years in New York City, Angela performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and in many Broadway shows. In addition, she spent several summers at the Marlboro Music Festival and toured with Musicians from Marlboro. Angela has served as adjunct faculty at Montclair State University, Drexel University, and Temple University. She lives on the North Shore of Chicago with her husband, trumpet player David Bilger, and their two children.

Boy with Horn

In Kabul a boy sits on a wooden chair, dwarfed by the French horn he holds on his lap. Continue reading

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Genius/Genie

It is the beginning of a new year, a time that the cultural storyline tells us should begin with a great deal of hope and a gust of energy – and many do jump in to this next segment of … Continue reading

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Thanksgiving

Though I’ve not posted in quite awhile, I actually have been writing quite a bit – just not here.  For many months, every time I sat down to write a post, I found myself wanting to write about so many … Continue reading

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A Fractured Shard

One writer whose essays I love to read (and whose novels I am just starting to read) is Zadie Smith.  Though writers do very different things than classical musicians, there are some places where the two crafts, the two art … Continue reading

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When the Cook’s Away…

Last night I cooked dinner.  The night before that I also cooked dinner.  This is nothing remarkable for most people, and it shouldn’t be remarkable for me, except that the kitchen has long ceased to be my domain. I was … Continue reading

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No Control, No Answers

“You like to be in control and maintain appearances,” the description underneath the photo of Big Ben so succinctly spelled out. Continue reading

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The Perks of Being a Packrat

As I was cleaning out files recently, I came across piles of practice notebooks and practice parts, mountains of audition requirements and the accompanying folders I had made for each audition. I found mini-disc recordings (and somewhere I have DAT … Continue reading

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Journey

One of the most pleasurable things about being a parent for me is searching for, finding, and reading (over and over and over again) really great children’s books.  Awful children’s books abound, and unfortunately, kids can latch onto those just … Continue reading

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A Mini-Rumination on Proust

Ten times I must begin again, lean down toward it.  And each time, the laziness that deters us from every difficult task, every work of importance, has counseled me to leave it, to drink my tea and think only about … Continue reading

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A Lesson from Shakespeare

One of the great joys of my musical life is hearing the perspectives of artists who work in other fields.  Painters, dancers, writers and actors have all enriched my own musical path.  Recently, my exploration has happily brought me to … Continue reading

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