Dr. Rusty Holmes enjoys a diverse career as a speaker, teacher, and performer in Austin, TX. He has taught on the faculties of three colleges in central Texas: Blinn College -Brenham, Temple College, and Texas A&M - Central Texas, and he served as a visiting professor at Texas State University. He maintains a large private studio of middle school, high school, university, and amateur adult students in the greater Austin area.

Holmes currently holds the position of 4th horn with the Corpus Christi Symphony. He is a substitute horn for the Austin Symphony Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony, and is a frequent sub for several other regional orchestras in central Texas, including Brazos Valley, Temple, Victoria, MidTexas, and Central Texas Philharmonic. He has performed on recitals at the International Horn Symposium, as well as the Mid-South and Southeast Horn Workshops.

As a low horn specialist, Holmes is dedicated to discovering and promoting solo and chamber works written for low horn through performances and lectures at regional and international workshops. His presentations focus on the history of low horn and highlights low horn repertoire recently commissioned by Denise Tryon.

As a coach, Holmes helps music students and professionals navigate the challenges of pursuing a career in music through the use of Mental Fitness practices. Holmes provides a free newsletter filled with inspiration and motivation to the Mental Fitness Community, and he offers one-on-one coaching, as well as live Mental Fitness Workshops. He holds a coaching certification from the Certified Life Coach Institute and has training in Meditation and Trauma-Informed Resilience Practices.

Holmes received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Oklahoma State University and his Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance from the University of Texas at Austin. His mentors include Lanette Compton and Patrick Hughes.