Mollie Pate

French Horn

From the dramatic horn solo accompanying Luke Skywalker’s gaze into the binary sunset in Star Wars, to the brilliant horn choir used to evoke the vastness of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings, horns have left an indelible mark on film, television, and video games. Mollie Pate is our fearless leader here at Louisiana Scoring who effortlessly commands all of the skills necessary to bring those cinematic moments to life.

With a 30 year career behind her, Mollie has been the principal horn of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and principal for the Mobile Symphony for the last 10 years. Her professional music career took root at Lamar University where she received her Bachelor of Music, followed by both a Master of Music degree and Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory.

One of her most notable recent achievements was recording Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, performing as fifth horn. On that same program, she stepped into the principal horn role for the first half, performing Haydn’s “Symphony No. 100 (‘Military’).” The experience stands as one of the highlights of her orchestral career. 

A newer and exciting chapter of her work includes collaborating with Louisiana Scoring. Mollie has found the program to challenge her skills as a musician in the best way, noting that scoring work demands a refined skill set—particularly strong sight-reading and the ability to deliver polished performances. She states, “It’s definitely a different skill set! You have to be a good sight reader and just be ready to perform! I think it gives you another tool in your tool belt.” 

Mollie’s performance experiences extend far beyond the classical stage. She has shared stages with iconic artists including The Who at Jazz Fest, Queens of the Stone Age, and Chicago. Earlier in her career, she performed with legendary figures such as Ray Charles, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, and Renée Fleming—experiences she describes as both inspiring and unforgettable.

Today, she frequently performs with the Pacific Symphony in Costa Mesa, California, an orchestra she describes as exceptional both musically and personally: “It’s a wonderful orchestra with great people and musicians, and I feel so honored to perform with them!”

With Burning River Brass, she tours annually, especially during the Christmas season and primarily around the Cleveland area, but also in the Northwest, Georgia, and Florida. The ensemble has performed at prestigious venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition, she enjoys performing Broadway productions, including a favorite, The Phantom of the Opera.

Her recording career began in earnest after Hurricane Katrina, when she was called to Nashville for studio work. Over the years, she has also recorded in New Orleans at Esplanade Studios with Jay Weigel and other artists, further expanding her versatility as a musician.

Mollie’s excitement about working with Louisiana Scoring stems from the chance “to come together with other Louisiana artists and create great music.” Beyond music, she is committed to teaching and helping others grow. As the owner of CrossFit Nola, she supports clients ranging from veterans to adaptive and able-bodied athletes. She adds, “not only do I love music, but I also love teaching, from horn students, to people looking for ways to improve their health.” Aided by her deep passion for coaching and lifelong involvement in sports, Mollie has cultivated skills vital to environments that demand collaboration, adaptability, and dedication — environments like Louisiana Scoring. These hard-earned skills translate seamlessly into the recording studio, where such qualities are essential to creating an environment that brings out the best performances from everyone around her.

Luke Fleming

Viola

Abby Monroe

Cello

Our next chapter in the Musician Spotlight series features two of Louisiana Scoring’s top players – a power couple that brings their passion and talent to every recording session.

Early Beginnings

Like many musicians, both Abby and Luke began their musical journey during their adolescent years and both landed professional opportunities by the time they were young adults. Abby acquired a position with an orchestra immediately after college, and Luke began his professional career in graduate school, around age 21.

While this power couple shares a love for orchestral performances, their diverging educational backgrounds are a prime example of how talent and proficiency originates within the musician. Their respective journeys to professional exceptionalism stemmed from differing beginnings. Luke shares, “I was a student of the Louisiana public school system in Baton Rouge, attended LSU for my Bachelor of Music Performance, attended graduate school at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and the Juilliard School in NYC, where I received my Artist Diploma, Master of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts.”

Abby’s trajectory began at the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy and brought her to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Professional Studies.

Coming Home to Louisiana

After years of performing across the United States and abroad, Louisiana emerged as a natural and meaningful place to put down roots. For Luke, the connection is deeply personal; he is a New Orleans native with extensive family ties throughout the state. Abby’s connection grew organically over time. Through frequent visits to New Orleans while the two were together, she developed a genuine appreciation for the city’s culture, energy, and sense of community. When Abby completed the third and final year of her orchestra position in Chicago, the decision aligned naturally. What began as a place tied to family and familiarity evolved into a shared home, one that supports both their artistic lives and their desire for connection, continuity, and community.

Recording for Screen

The duo brings extensive recording experience across genres and platforms. Abby has been recorded on a wide range of projects, including video game scores for Sony PlayStation and Minecraft, as well as releases with Louisiana Scoring. She has also recorded an album with Ensemble for These Times, further reflecting her versatility across contemporary and collaborative recording environments.

Luke’s recording career is rooted in chamber and contemporary classical work. He has recorded multiple albums with the Manhattan Chamber Players, Musicians from Marlboro, Shattered Glass Ensemble, and the Attacca Quartet, contributing to projects that highlight both technical excellence and artistic depth.

Concert performance takes Abby and Luke across an expansive geographic range. Abby performs throughout North America, and since relocating to New Orleans, her work has increasingly brought her across Louisiana and the broader Southern region, allowing her to stay deeply connected to local audiences while maintaining a national presence. Luke’s concert work is equally far-reaching. He performs regularly throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, primarily in chamber music settings, and has toured extensively on the international stage. His global performances have included tours across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with particularly significant engagements in China and Japan.

Why Louisiana Scoring

To Abby, Louisiana Scoring represents the rare opportunity to participate in high-level recording sessions at home for projects that reach audiences worldwide through film, video games, and other media. Luke adds, “I love that attention is being drawn to the wealth of musical talent we have in my home, Louisiana.”

Abby values Louisiana Scoring as both a creative and communal space. Recording locally allows her to work at the highest professional level while building meaningful connections. She notes: “I’ve probably met more local musicians at Louisiana Scoring sessions than anywhere else I’ve played in the state.”

For Luke, Louisiana Scoring provides a fulfilling artistic outlet that remains rooted in place, offering him the chance to collaborate with trusted, locally based colleagues while staying close to home.

Dragos Filip

Cello

Originally from Bucharest, Romania, and trained in the renowned Eastern European tradition, Dragos Filip is a highly sought after world-class cellist with high profile performances alongside Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Botti, and Kristin Chenoweth. His career has taken him across the southern US and Eastern Europe, and an upcoming Japan tour will add yet another region to his emerging presence around the world.

How long have you been studying music? Playing professionally?

I started studying music when I was 8 years old. Playing professionally since senior year in high school, 2004.

Which ensembles/orchestras, past or present, have you been a part of? What is/was your position?

Acadiana Symphony (Principal), Baton Rouge Symphony (principal), Mobile Symphony (section), LPO (section).

What are some of your high-profile achievements in the music world? What are you most proud of? What’s your favorite?

I’ve played concerts with YO YO MA, Chris Botti, Kristin Chenoweth, I’ve recorded music with Marc Broussard, Lauren Daigle. My fav would be the performance with Yo Yo.

What excites you about Louisiana Scoring?

Being able to do top notch work in a top notch space, with a top notch team close to home.

Does Louisiana Scoring benefit you in your musical journey?

No doubt. It takes down the boundaries and connects me to composers and projects from across the world, right there in Lafayette Louisiana.

It’s rare when so many disparate occurrences coincide to create a singular, monumental event. The creation of life is a prime example of this.

But what if the end of a life could spark the chain of events that would lead toward an incredible new beginning?

Such is the case for ‘The Way Up,’ an animated short film in which its score gave Louisiana Scoring its first original film score debut in the cinematic world.

A Vision Brings Worlds Together:

For context, The Way Up is a film created by film maker Drew Garcia and was inspired by the now-famous angler fish that took the world by storm at the beginning of 2025 when it rose to the surface as it was nearing the end of its life. Drew quickly made a much shorter version with AI prompting alongside other software to see what was possible with this new technology. His initial viral success on social media inspired him to make a 3-minute short a few months later with a captivating voice over by Jane Merrow and an incredible score by Robin Hoffmann. Keep in mind that Robin is in Germany, while Drew is in Idaho.

Meanwhile, Louisiana Scoring had been testing its new studio for months – having practice sessions with various sections of the orchestra all while refining its workflow and recording methodology. However, the studio had yet to record a full orchestra and was scheduled to do so right around the time the score for ‘The Way Up’ needed to be recorded. Robin Birner, a mixing engineer from Germany who had been working with Louisiana Scoring, connected the studio with Robin Hoffmann, and the rest is history. 

A Magical Recording Session:

Drew, wanting to share the magic of film scoring with his two sons, flew from Boise, Idaho all the way down to Lafayette, Louisiana to attend the scoring session. According to Drew, the performance made him “speechless,” going on to say “it was masterfully performed by the Louisiana Scoring Orchestra. Sharing the experience with my boys was the cherry on top.” That’s certainly the sort of experience we want everyone involved with Louisiana Scoring to have. Robin Hoffmann said, “it was an absolute pleasure working on this emotional film and bringing it to life with the spectacular performance of the Louisiana Scoring Orchestra, who poured their hearts and souls into performing the score.”

Reception and Future:

Since the scoring session, the film has debuted and gone viral on multiple social media platforms, has been received incredibly well by its audiences according to metrics, raved about in podcasts, and it has given life to the newly formed Louisiana Scoring studio. What a beginning to the story. 

Watch The Way Up on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube! Follow Louisiana Scoring for our next adventure!

-David Boudreaux, Louisiana Scoring, Studio Program Manager