About Becky Birchett-Allen

Private Piano and Horn Teacher | Freelance Musician

Ms. Becky started playing piano in the 2nd grade. She was classically trained by Beverly Taysom and Carolyn Riggins in Tempe, AZ. During high school, she participated in the local, regional, and national level competition for the NFSM (National Fraternity of Student Musicians), receiving excellent ratings for the local and regional level in 1996 and 1997 and superior ratings for the national level in 1998 at 17 years old. Mrs. Allen also received superior ratings for three years at the Arizona Interscholastic Association competition. She received an award for outstanding piano study and performance for the year in her piano studio, growing up out of 25 other students in 1999. As an adult, she studied with Content Sablinsky in Charlottesville, VA, and Diane Selheim in Tempe, AZ.

Mrs. Allen started playing the French Horn in 5th grade. During her high school years, she studied with Larry Conrad. She attended the Northern Arizona Arts Camp for two years and the world-renowned fine arts camp, Interlochen Arts Camp, twice in Interlochen, Michigan. She also attended Kendall Betts Horn Camp in New Hampshire to work with the elite professional horn players in the horn community. She worked with Kendall Betts, Barry Tuckwell, David O’hanian, Bill Capps, Michael Hatfield, and many others. She performed in 2 National Honor Bands during high school The John Phillip Sousa National Honors Band in Washington, D.C., in 1999; and The National Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall in 2000.

Ms. Becky graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a strong emphasis in horn and music theory in 2005. She studied William Lane (LA Philharmonic Orchestra) and John Ericson while attending ASU and Nancy Sullivan (Northern Arizona University) during her collegiate studies. Ms. Becky performed professionally with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra and the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra. She currently performs with the Charlottesville Band and the Cville Brass Quintet and is the Director of the Cville Horn Ensemble. She has worked with the Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, Rapidan Symphony Orchestra, and Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra, as well as other small ensembles, as a freelance musician.

Ms. Becky began teaching in 1998 on both horn and piano. In 2007 Becky Allen's Music Studio was established as a home-based business in Louisa, Virginia, teaching children through adults with varying abilities. Her studio held a minimum of 20 students up until it was closed and relocated to Charlottesville, VA, then reopened, and she had to rebuild her student clientele again. Currently, the studio in Charlottesville is smaller to devote more time and expertise to each and every student. 

In 2019, Ms. Becky started developing her online course, Successful Private Music Studio Strategies, to teach new private music teachers how to start, build and maintain their own successful and THRIVING private music lessons and studio.

Ms. Becky has been married since 2002 to Matthew Allen. Ms. Becky is a health and fitness motivator, certified personal trainer, and nutritionist through NASM. She participated in multiple races, including the Disney Princess half marathon, while pregnant with her second son at 29 weeks pregnant. She also writes a health and fitness blog at www.connectthedotsginger.com  and hosts multiple health and fitness online communities to support other women in their health and fitness journeys.

Upcoming performances: 

I am performing with the Charlottesville Band, and directing a Horn Ensemble, Cville Horns, along with performing as a freelance musician in central Virginia. If you are interested in booking the Horn Ensemble, you may book our ensembles through The Charlottesville Band

2024:

Sunday, March 3 - 3:00pm -  Virginia Consort - Old Cabell Hall @ UVA

Saturday, March 16 - 3:30pm - Albemarle Symphony - St. Anne’s Belfield School

Saturday, March 23 - 7:30pm -  Charlottesville Band Performance- Culpepper County High School

Sunday, April 28- 3:30pm - Charlottesville Band Performance - PVCC Dickinson Building

Saturday, June 1- 6:30pm - Studio Spring Recital

Tuesday, June 11- 7:30pm - Charlottesville Band Performance - Charlottesville High School MLK Performing Art Center

Sunday, June 30 - 3:30pm - Charlottesville Band Performance - Paramount Theater

Thursday, July 4 - 9:00am -  Charlottesville Band Performance - Monticello Naturalization Ceremony

Tuesday, July 23- 7:30pm - Charlottesville Band Performance - Charlottesville High School MLK Performing Art Center

Tuesday, August 13 - 7:30pm Charlottesville Band Performance - The Paramount Theater

Sunday, October 20 - 3:30pm - Charlottesville Band Performance - PVCC Dickinson Building

Sunday, December 6 - 7:30pm - Charlottesville Band Performance - The Paramount Theater

Saturday, December 14- 11:30am - Studio Holiday Recital

Recorded Performances:

Horn Concert No. 3 in E Flat, K 447, Mvts 2- Romance & 3- Allegro - Mozart - with the Charlottesville Band - 6/6/23

Horn, Oboe and Piano Trio: Air Arabe, Op. 77- Heinrich Molbe

Brass Quintet: Tango For Jam Jam arranged by Zack Smith

Cville Horns: White Christmas

Cville Horns: Somewhere Over The Rainbow