Mat Boatright, french horn

Here is an interview with Mat in 2020:

What instrument  do you play?
French horn

How long have you played the french horn?
40 years

How long have you been a Wilmington Symphony Orchestra musician?
September 2011 to present. But I played with the orchestra in 2001 and 2002 while stationed in the area.

What do you do for a career?

• I served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 30 years and retired honorably in November 2016. I was a Marine Musician. I played French horn, but rose through the ranks as a Section Leader, Drum Major, conductor, and Band Master.
• I deployed twice to the Horn of Africa where I worked at the American Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as the Enlisted Liaison Officer; and as the Senior Enlisted Leader for Combined Joint Operations while assigned to the Combined Joint Task Force at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti.​

After retirement from the Marine Corps, I have kept busy with a variety of pursuits:

• I attended the Golf Academy of America in Myrtle Beach and graduated as Co-Valedictorian.
• In 2017, I certified as a Physical Fitness Specialist with NASM, and as a Golf Fitness Specialist with the Titleist Performance Institute.
• I also worked at an Amazon fulfillment center in 2018 as an Area Manager in Petersburg, VA.
• In 2019, I decided to work for myself. I founded the company, CORPS LEGACY, LLC. As a certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business and registered Small Business in North Carolina, I have grown the company from selling just one product on Amazon.com in 2019 to over 500 different products sold on the Amazon platform to customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Where did you grow up?
Fort Wayne, Indiana.

What is your favorite song, artist, and/or musical memory?
I'm a big fan of movie soundtracks, 21st century orchestral and chamber music, and 80s rock. I enjoy John Williams to Arnold Schoenberg to Van Halen.

Favorite meal or restaurant?
Krispy Kreme

Favorite beverage?
Protein shake

What is your favorite vacation?
Quiet and leisurely...

You're stuck on a desert island... What book, music/album/artist and/or movie do you want with you??
Desert survival handbook

What's your pet situation?
The wife and I have 3 dogs.

What do you want people to know about the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra?
The WSO is a family of musicians that wear their hearts on their sleeves and love music. Most of all, they love performing for the city of Wilmington. Speaking for myself, but probably a shared thought from all of us - I can't wait to perform with the WSO once again in the upcoming 2021 Season.

How are you keeping yourself occupied while being at home all day?
My business keeps me really busy, but I play golf as often as I can, and go on walks with a weighted-vest to keep things interesting. Gotta get those 10,000 steps in everyday!

Any words of wisdom to help others through this?
Life is circular and we will overcome and be stronger than before. The strength we want to see must come from within ourselves. We all possess an untapped amount of strength and potential, but we don't always recognize it. Something I try to live by is this: Do not expect someone to do for you what you can do for yourself. Be resilient. Be unstoppable. This too shall pass! This philosophy helps me to stay focused and balanced on the future.

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