Genghis Barbie

Genghis Barbie is an all-female horn quartet that originated in New York and the performers having a total of 24 years of conservatory training. This group was formed during the recession when there was not enough work to go around. They are known for playing literature outside of the standard horn music literature. Unlike most horn ensembles these four females play the kind of music you would hear on the radio and will also have classical music thrown into the mix for a concert

I found this great article focusing on an interview with the group and it talks about a lot of important topics that you should check out if you have time, but I found this one particular question/answer interesting. 

"IM: You have a very distinctive artistic profile—not only with what you play, but how you present it. How would you describe your artistic identity, and how did it develop?

Drehmann: The group developed initially because we were all good friends. From a musical perspective, Genghis Barbie was our outlet to play whatever we wanted and play it however we felt like. We really weren’t concerned whether people would like it or approve of it from a classical standpoint. That wasn’t our goal—we just wanted to have fun. We decided to start a Facebook page, and soon after, released our first YouTube video, Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose.” We knew a great photographer, Spencer Lloyd, and decided to have fun with some photos (our name is Genghis Barbie after all!). We realized there was no limit to what we could do as long as we were having fun. We first decided on the Genghis Barbie image to make ourselves out as these French horn warrior women, which, in a way, we are, as strong and independent New York City ladies. During the photo shoot we came up with our alter egos: Velvet Barbie, Freedom Barbie, Cosmic Barbie, Sunshine Barbie, and Attila the Horn. I mean, why not? Since then, I think we have actually toned it down a bit, but it remains that Genghis Barbie is where we all come to have fun, make our own choices, and be ourselves. We try to let our concerts, master classes, recordings, and YouTube videos reflect this. We honestly just want to spread our love for music and our joy in playing music with each other. "

My biggest takeaway from this answer is they did not care about the response they would get from forming this group. They formed it, started doing their own thing, and most importantly love doing it.  Honestly think this is a key element for anything you do and I loved their answer!

Just for fun.... Here is a recording of Take on Me which was used in the show "The Leftovers" on HBO.