Malik Taylor
LA orchestra fellow: horn
Malik Taylor is a young, gifted musician who hails from Los Angeles’ Inner City. His music career began at Bret Harte Middle School in South Central Los Angeles, where he was introduced to the horn by his middle school band teacher, Greg Martin.
Malik Taylor is a young, gifted musician who hails from Los Angeles’ Inner City. His music career began at Bret Harte Middle School in South Central Los Angeles, where he was introduced to the horn by his middle school band teacher, Greg Martin. Martin assisted in helping Taylor participate in the UCLA Outreach Program, and at age 13, he was selected for the Los Angeles Unified School District Honor Band and the California All State Honors Band. He received the California State Senate Award, Los Angeles Mayor Award and Maxine Waters Award for music in 2011.
After graduating from Bret Harte, Taylor was accepted to attend Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA). While there, he performed in the Cal State University of Los Angeles Wind Ensemble and also became a member of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA), where he continues to serve as Principal Horn. Upon completion of LACHSA, Taylor attended Shenandoah University in Winchester, West Virginia for one semester. Upon returning to Los Angeles, he was admitted to the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, from which he graduated in the spring of 2020.
While at Bret Harte, Taylor studied with Bob Watt, former Assistant Principal Horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first African American French horn hired by a major symphony Orchestra in the United States. Watt became Malik’s mentor, and he continues to serve as one of his primary teachers to this day. While at Shenandoah, Taylor studied with Joe Lovinsky, and he is currently in the studio of Steven Becknell, principal horn of the Los Angeles Opera.
He has performed with the Pepperdine University Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Opera Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, and several prestigious orchestras and ensembles throughout Southern California.
According to Taylor, “I’ll never forget the first time I blew into a French horn. It sent chills through my body! When I blew into that horn of over twenty-four feet of coiled brass, the sound exploded. It was a, glorious, mellow and beautiful sound and I loved it. I had found a voice to pursue my musical passions. I had no idea how many opportunities mastering this instrument would provide; I just wanted to play the French horn.”
