Dr. Rusty Holmes

Dr. Rusty Holmes enjoys a diverse career as a speaker, teacher, and performer in Austin, TX. He has taught on the faculties at several colleges in central Texas, including Blinn College, Temple College, Texas A&M University - Central Texas, and in 2021 he served as a visiting professor at Texas State University. He now maintains a large private studio of middle school, high school, university, and amateur adult students in the greater Austin area.

As a speaker, Holmes facilitates Mental Fitness Workshops for university students and members of professional ensembles. These workshops focus on bringing practical wellness practices into the daily lives of participants to address burnout in the music industry. Holmes also offers individual Mental Fitness Coaching to university students.

Holmes is also an active freelancer and orchestral musician, as well. He currently holds the position of 4th horn with the Corpus Christi Symphony and is a substitute horn for the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the San Antonio Symphony, and several other regional orchestras in central Texas, including Brazos Valley, Temple, and Victoria. He has performed in recitals at regional workshops and the annual International Horn Symposium, and in 2023, he was the featured guest artist for HornFest hosted at Texas Christians University by Heather Test.

Holmes received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Oklahoma State University and his Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance from the University of Texas at Austin.

As a low horn specialist, Holmes is dedicated to discovering and promoting solo and chamber works written for low horn through performances and lectures at regional and international workshops. His presentations focus on the history of low horn and highlights low horn repertoire commissioned by Denise Tryon.