ROBERT OWEN — Technology Leader & Musician
Technology leadership, music, and the space where they overlap

Music

Overview

Music has been a constant alongside my professional work in technology. I perform as a French horn player with regional orchestras and ensembles, and I continue to take the work seriously, not as a side hobby, but as a demanding, collaborative discipline.

At its best, orchestral playing is about preparation, trust, and awareness of the people around you. Those expectations don’t change just because the setting does.


Performance Work

I perform regularly with orchestras and ensembles in a variety of roles, including principal and section positions. The work ranges from standard symphonic repertoire to pops, film music, and special projects.

What matters most to me in performance environments:

  • Consistent preparation and reliability

  • Listening before leading

  • Supporting the ensemble when the moment calls for it

  • Showing up ready, regardless of role


Current & Upcoming Performances

This page will maintain a rolling view of upcoming and recent performances as a freelance horn player.

Upcoming Performances:

  • March 15, 2026
    The Symphony of the Mountains (Principal)
    Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center · Kingsport, Tennessee KINGSPORT, TN – Symphony of the Mountains collaborates with the talented students of the Dobyns-Bennett Wind Symphony, under...
    Details
  • March 21, 2026
    The Knoxville Symphony (Section)
    Covenant Health Park · Knoxville, TN Mark your calendars for March 21, 2026, as the Symphony Ball heads to Covenant Health Park – recently named 2025 Ballpark of the Year. Hosted...
    Details
  • April 11, 2026
    Symphony of the Mountains (Principal)
    ETSU: Martin Center for the Arts · Johnson City, Tennessee – Morning Mood – Grieg’s evocative musical portrait of dawn – Lux Aeterna – Lauridsen’s luminous and deeply...
    Details
  • April 17, 2026
    The Knoxville Symphony (Section)
    The Tennessee Theatre · Knoxville, TN PERFORMANCES Thursday, April 16 |TICKETS Friday, April 17, 2026 |TICKETS SPONSORS – Bill and Atie Rotmeyer 7:30 pm | Tennessee...
    Details

Past Performances:

  • February 28, 2026
    The Symphony of the Mountains (Principal)
    Toy F. Reid Eastman Employee Center · Kingsport, Tennessee KINGSPORT, TN – Symphony of the Mountains and Eastman present an evening celebrating the power of community through...
    Details
  • February 13, 2026
    The Knoxville Symphony (Section)
    The Tennessee Theatre · Knoxville, Tennessee Celebrate the season of love with three deeply romantic masterpieces by Russia’s most quintessential composers. Shakespeare’s timeless romantic...
    Details
  • January 16, 2026
    The Knoxville Symphony (Section)
    The Tennessee Theatre · Knoxville, Tennessee Internationally acclaimed violinist Vadim Gluzman makes his Knoxville Symphony Orchestra debut in Brahms’ radiant Violin Concerto, bringing his...
    Details

View all performances


Musical Background

I studied music with the intention of pursuing a full-time orchestral career and have remained closely connected to that path throughout my life. Over the years, I’ve performed with multiple regional orchestras and festivals, building experience across a wide range of repertoire and performance settings.

Like technology, music rewards patience, repetition, and attention to detail. Progress is rarely dramatic, but it is cumulative.


Why It Still Matters

Maintaining an active musical life alongside a demanding technology career isn’t about balance for its own sake. Music reinforces habits that matter everywhere else: discipline, humility, accountability to a group, and respect for craft.

There’s also a cognitive effect I’ve come to rely on. Performing during, or at the end of, a long technology workday is exhausting in the moment, but it consistently sharpens things afterward. The next day, complex problems feel clearer, decisions feel easier to navigate, and mental noise drops away. The effort carries a cost, but it pays back in focus and perspective.

It’s a reminder that some of the most meaningful improvement doesn’t come from doing less, but from engaging fully in work that demands a different kind of attention—where individual excellence serves something larger than itself.