Today we’d like to introduce you to Marjorie Hahn.
Hi Marjorie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Mrs. Marjorie Hahn is the Executive and Musical Director of the South Florida Youth Symphony (SFYS). Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she moved to Miami with her family in 1957. Her musical journey began in the fourth grade, first on trumpet and then, in seventh grade, transitioning to the French horn—an instrument her band director recommended and one she later learned her mother had also played in high school.
At age 15, Marjorie became an original member of the South Florida Youth Symphony as a French hornist. She is the stepdaughter of the late Carmen Nappo, SFYS founder and noted Miami conductor and composer.
Since graduating from the University of Georgia in 1971, Marjorie has dedicated her career to teaching, conducting, and developing programs for SFYS. Under her leadership, the organization has grown to include beginning music training for children as young as three, along with two progressive training orchestras, collectively serving more than 190 students annually. She selects and manages the faculty, oversees all programming, and serves as the primary conductor of the youth symphony. Her work includes premiering new compositions, coordinating international performance tours—where SFYS ensembles have won numerous gold awards—and coaching student conductors and soloists. She also collaborates extensively with professional musicians throughout the region to enhance the breadth and quality of SFYS programs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marjorie co-produced a virtual concert that earned both her and the South Florida Youth Symphony a Suncoast Regional Emmy Award. She continues to sustain the organization’s legacy through comprehensive grant writing and oversight.
Marjorie served three terms on the National Youth Orchestra Board for the League of American Orchestras, contributing to the development of national standards for youth orchestras across the country.
A professional musician and committed educator, Marjorie teaches young performers in her home studio and is a 17-year veteran French horn instructor at Miami Dade College’s Kendall Campus. She has also served for many years as a brass coach—on both trumpet and horn—at middle and high schools throughout Miami.
She is the co-founder and a performing member of Miami’s Top Brass Quintet, active since 1990.
In March 2022, Marjorie was honored as Miami-Dade County’s Outstanding Woman in Arts and Culture at the “In the Company of Women” awards, presented by the Miami Mayor and the Parks Department.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
After the death of my biological father at age 10, my uncle, a local performing musician took my sister and I under his wing and provided us with private instructors after showing our desire and talent for music. When my step father came into our lives five years later he brought in new opportunities, and gave us the basis we needed to succeed.
Finding space for rehearsals for the Youth program has been a challenge but we are fortunate to have the complete backing of the Presidents at Miami Dade College North Campus for the most recent 30 years. Before that we were supported by the Cith of North Miami Beach., for 29 years.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been actively empowering young musicians at the South Florida Youth Symphony since 1971. Keeping the legacy of my step father alive for over 60 years. Working closley as music director and executive director, with a fantastic volunteer board of directors and over 15 musical faculty we collectively create a safe, educational and inspiring community for young people, many underserved, from low incomes and with special needs to thrive in, building on life skills for the future, whether music or other careers.
Many of the Alumni I Have worked with over the 60 years have returned to bring their children (and grand children) to the program , as well as coming back to be teachers in the program, as they appreciate and acknowledge the benefits it sustains.
I am proud to have married Jack Hahn , and together have raised two lovely children. we now celebrate two lovely grandchildren
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up with limited household funds after the death of my father was challenging, but my siblings and I were deeply nurtured by the love and support of our mother and extended family. When our stepfather joined the family, we were captivated by the music, opportunities, and excitement that his world brought into our lives. We watched in awe as he conducted the Miami Ballet under Artistic Director Thomas (“Tommy”) Armour and led the Pops on the Bay concerts at the Miami Marine Stadium on the Key Biscayne Causeway.
He gave us—and our friends—the extraordinary gift of the Youth Symphony, which he created so young musicians could learn and perform classical orchestral literature. I was further fortunate to receive private conducting lessons from him for three years, an experience that shaped my musical path.
Most afternoons, after finishing my homework, I spent two to three hours practicing French horn. I would play along with records of the great masters in the soundproof studio Carmen built onto our home, transforming the former garage into a dedicated music space.
Despite the musical richness in our lives, we still faced financial constraints. We couldn’t always join school clubs, buy new clothes for the beginning of the school year—our mother skillfully made most of what we wore—or afford prestigious music camps around the country. Even attending college seemed uncertain. Instead, I participated in local summer music programs led by Miami’s Superintendent of Music, Howard Doolin. During those summers, I was honored to sit first chair and perform solos under the renowned conductor Hugo Fiorato from Juilliard.
I made college possible through scholarships and campus jobs, and I cherished the friendships and activities that shaped those years. Music remained central: I sang in my church youth choir, and in college choirs that performed major works such as Carmina Burana and Alexander Nevsky with the Miami Philharmonic under Alain Lombard. I continue to sing in my church choir today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sfysmusic.org
- Instagram: southfloridayouthsymphony
- Facebook: southfloridayouthsymphony
- Youtube: southfloridayouthsymphny
