Our Story
The Spark
🎻 Our Story
Six years ago, our founder, Mandy Guilfoyle, performed a solo cello recital in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The audience had to hike to reach her—and as she played, the music blended seamlessly with the rustling trees, the songs of birds, and the hush of dusk falling over the ridgeline.
She hadn’t expected a large turnout. No one had done anything quite like this before. But after securing the proper permits and hiking up with my cello on her back, she arrived at the overlook to find more people than she imagined—some had come from as far away as Arkansas, carrying folding camp chairs and picnic blankets just to experience the music in that specific place.
Even more touching were the passersby—hikers who stopped mid-trail, listened for a few minutes, and told her afterward it was the highlight of their trip. One even shared that a bear had been spotted nearby, as if the wildlife, too, had come to hear what was unfolding.
That experience became one of the defining moments of her 22-year performing career. It showed her that music doesn’t just belong in concert halls. It belongs here—where the earth is breathing, where the wind becomes part of the sound, and where something ancient in all of us remembers how to listen.
🌿 Why Wild Notes Exists
Our national and state parks are among America’s greatest treasures—living landscapes that hold history, biodiversity, and the sacred stillness we too often lose in daily life.
But these irreplaceable spaces face real and growing threats: from development, pollution, overuse, and public disconnection. At Wild Notes, we believe that connection is conservation.
When someone hears the sound of a cello woven into birdsong and wind, they don’t just appreciate the music—they feel why the land matters. They remember something. And that remembering is where stewardship begins.
✨ How You Can Help
You can be part of this. Whether you choose to attend a Wild Notes concert, share our story, or donate to help us reach more parks, your support helps bring this vision to life:
🛤️ More performances in wild places.
🎻 More humans moved by nature.
🌎 More hearts stirred to protect the land that sustains us all.
Because this isn’t just about music. It’s about what happens when we make space for beauty—and then fight to keep it alive.
Support The Mission
Wild Notes relies on community support to make these performances possible.
Your donation helps cover travel costs, permits, outreach, and gear needed to bring classical music into natural spaces.
Give today and help us grow this mission of conservation through music.