Staff

Our team is small but mighty. We are dedicated to delivering meaningful, measurable, and financially sustainable results.

 

Graham Reynolds
Co-Founder & Artistic Director

Called “the quintessential modern composer” by the London Independent, Austin-based composer-bandleader-improviser Graham Reynolds creates, performs, and records music for film, theater, dance, rock clubs, and concert halls with collaborators across a multitude of disciplines. He co-founded Golden Hornet alongside Peter Stopschinski in the 1990s, and his artistic vision continues to guide the organization. You can learn more about Graham on his website.
 

Adam Cicero
Managing Director

Adam has joined Golden Hornet as the new Managing Director, bringing five years of experience in artist management and non-profit work to the organization. His background combines practical operations oversight with direct knowledge of artistic collaboration, developed through his previous roles in the arts and non-profit world.

Sophie Mathieu
Assistant Artistic Director

Sophie is an Austin-based musician. She is currently pursuing a masters degree in composition at UT and teaches at Austin Chamber Music Center. As a cellist, Sophie is passionate about bringing the works of living composers to the forefront and exploring as many genres as possible. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at USC, she also studied baroque cello and viola da gamba, and interned for Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra. Outside of music, Sophie enjoys cooking, playing Sid Meier’s Civilization V, and watching psychological horror films.

Management Provided By
Lobel Arts

David Lobel has over twenty years of experience in the entertainment, music, and non-profit industries, having worked or consulted for major and independent record labels, non-profit organizations, music business management firms, and more. As an artist, he has performed, recorded, and/or toured with the likes of Prince, Spoon, Grupo Fantasma, and many others. Lobel Arts was founded in 2007 and continues to thrive, providing advocacy for a boutique roster of world class talent.

Isaac Fuentes
Program Manager

Isaac is a violist and educator in Austin, Texas. He graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music and continues to perform throughout the Austin area today.  He is enthusiastic about music education and committed to fostering the talent of Austin's youth. Isaac also enjoys music production and composition, and he designs and sews all of his own clothes.

Luis Bellorín
Communications Manager

 
 

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors meets quarterly, reviewing all strategic and financial decisions. Their perspectives, each remarkable and rooted in a range of experiences, help guide our development and extend the reach of our programs.

 

Kathryn Blackbird, Chair
Owner, Blackbird Fine Art
& Attorney

Cristina Albarran, Secretary
Release Project Manager,
Apple

Ben Keyfitz, Treasurer
CPA, Senior Auditor for
The State of Texas

Madge Darlington
Founder & Co-Producing
Artistic Director, Rude Mechs

Tim League
Founder & Owner,
Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas

David Lobel
Founder & Director,
Lobel Arts

Lilah Obregon-Wilson
Music Supervisor / Producer,
Discochacha

Graham Reynolds
Artistic Director

DJ Shani
Radio Personality, DJ,
Music Journalist

Mia Ansel
Student Board Representative,
Young Composer

Fiona Gehrke
Student Board Representative,
Young Composer

 
 

Our Supporters

Each year, KMFA serves as media sponsors for our SXSW Official ATX Composers Showcase. Their team are also consistent supporters of our other programs, particularly through coverage of our Young Composer Concert.

Golden Hornet’s The Sound of Science featuring Jeffrey Zeigler was supported by New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from the Mary Flager Cary Chartitable Trust, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Helen F. Whitaker Fund, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and an anonymous donor. For more information, visit the Sound of Science project page.

Golden Hornet is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema was home to our annual String Quartet Smackdown, and is a consistent partner and contributor on numerous other endeavors and events.

Our Insectum Commissioners

Harvey and Kathleen Guion

Kathleen and Harvey Guion are proud to be once again involved with Graham and Golden Hornet in the production of another wonderful music event. They have been Co-Commissioners or Commissioners of The Sound of Science, Marfa Country and Western Big Band Suite, MXTX: A Cross Border Exchange, and Insectum.

They have been involved in Executive Producing and Producing theatre productions in NYC and Austin for the past 20+ years; for companies like, Boundless Theatre Company, Theatre East, Zach Scott Theatre, Rude Mechanicals, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, and Shrewd Productions. They have also been key supporters of the Fusebox Festival for many years.

Suzanne Deal Booth

Suzanne Deal Booth is an arts advocate, vintner, and specialist in the preservation of cultural heritage. She earned a BA (cum laude) in Art History from Rice University, and an MA in Art History and certificate in conservation from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. During her studies, Deal Booth was mentored by the humanist and art collector Dominique de Menil, founder of the The Menil Collection in Houston. These early experiences working with de Menil continue to influence her to this day, as seen through Deal Booth’s own philanthropy and arts patronage. In 1998, Deal Booth founded Friends of Heritage Preservation, which has undertaken over 80 projects to protect cultural heritage around the globe. As proprietor and steward of Bella Oaks Vineyard in the Napa Valley, Deal Booth emphasizes organic and biodynamic practices to produce wine and olive oil that respect the land. In addition to her preservation work, Deal Booth serves on the boards of the following cultural organizations: The Contemporary Austin, The Menil Collection, LACMA, Blanton Museum of Art, Atelier Calder, and Centre Pompidou. She has sponsored The Sound of Science, MXTX: A Cross Border Exchange, and Insectum.

MXTX was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

Golden Hornet is supported in part by the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA). The mission of the TCA is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas. TCA supports a diverse and innovative arts community in Texas, throughout the nation and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism and artist sustainability initiatives.

AGFA is a main supporter of our Cinema Recomposed program and provides us with the rights to films for composers to re-score. They are the world’s largest archive dedicated to genre movies and filmmakers, and the only known 501(c)(3) non-profit genre film distributor.

Cinema Recomposed will have it’s first full premiere at Fantastic Fest 2025.