Itamar Zorman, violinist

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music and who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

My parents are both musicians. They gave me both the love for music and the belief that one can make a career in it. Also, their approach to music and its place in society influenced me greatly. My father, Moshe Zorman, is a composer who is closely familiar with the worlds of musical theatre, jazz, and popular music, and his music corresponds with these aspects of our culture. My mother, pianist Astrith Baltsan, has the wonderful ability to attract large audiences who will not necessarily go to other classical concerts, thanks to her ability to tell the stories inside and behind the music and connect it to other arts and the wider cultural world.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

I would mention two challenges.

One is learning to play the violin technically the best I can, which is an ongoing challenge. The goal would be to realise fully on the instrument everything that I have in my inner ear, meaning the way I want the music to sound, without being impeded by the difficulties of the instrument. The second is to find my own profile – there is a lot of repertoire that interests me, or career paths, so figuring out what exactly is the most “me” has been a challenge.

Which performances/recordings are you most proud of?  

I am proud of the recording of works by Paul Ben-Haim which I recorded for BIS with the help of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. This is wonderful music, and listening to the performances today, I am happy with some of the results (thanks to my collaborators, conductor Philippe Bach and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales,  pianist Amy Yang, and producer Andrew Keener).

Which particular works/composers do you think you perform best?

I think that this is for the listeners to say, because the answer doesn’t always match with how I feel. I have been told that I play Bach, Schubert and second Viennese school well, and I have noticed that I have good re-engagement chances when I play the Beethoven Violin Concerto, for example, but I don’t feel like I perform these better (or worse) than other repertoire I play.

What do you do off stage that provides inspiration on stage?

Reading and literature, because it’s easy to draw parallels between that art form and music.

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

These things build slowly in my mind, often with input and ideas from other people. I do try that the programmes have an overall concept. For example, my Music of the Spheres program, which includes music that has connection with space, paired with visuals from the US Space & Rocket center’s Intuitive Planetarium, started as an idea from a specific series, and then I developed it with the help of management, and the planetarium staff. Another programme, Women’s Voices from Eastern Europe,  was developed together with pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute. Yet another programme, Music out of Silence, which features works by composers at the time they lost their hearing, was helped by the administration at the Eastman School of Music, where I am a Visiting Guest Artist, as well as management again, so while most of the work is mine, collaborating is helpful as one receives ideas one hasn’t thought off.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

Not really. Some halls, like Suntory Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Italian Opera Houses have acoustics that allow for more colors and tonal options, which is both inspiring, but it is also challenging. Those colours are not available in the practice room, so you have limited time, normally on stage during the dress rehearsal, to prepare for and become comfortable with.

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

Connections with the wider culture are important, I think. Showing how this music is relevant in our world today, and what it can give listeners that might help make their lives better. I know that for me, music has been a refuge from lots of what is going on, and I believe it can be the same for a wide audience, but for that they need to see how it is relevant to their world.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

I particularly like the ones where something funny happens, either a silly mistake on stage (like a Beethoven Triple Concerto performance with my Lysander Piano Trio, where I got lost counting and kept playing while the orchestra and other soloists essentially got to the end of the piece), or strange noises from the audience. 

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

Keep getting better. The ideal performance might not be reachable, but the fact that one keeps getting closer to that ideal is success in my mind.

What advice would you give to young/aspiring musicians?

Everyone faces challenges, so don’t be discouraged when some things are difficult. Even if it seems like others have an easier time, they have their own struggles to battle, so you are not alone…

What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

Just now, at the Kronberg Academy Chamber Music Connects the World festival, we held a special concert where, in addition to a traditional performance, the audience was giving the performers suggestions on what emotions or other ideas to include in their interpretation. This was a great success and a meaningful experience for the audience. I would be curious to try more of these interactive performances in the future. 

What’s the one thing in the music industry we’re not talking about which you think we should be?

One specific thing that I am curious about is contemporary music from Asia, as it is such a prominent market for classical music now. 

More generally, contemporary music is essential for our art form to remain relevant. It seems like the opera world is shifting towards including more of it, and in a way that corresponds to the wider arts/culture scene, and hopefully we could do the same with concert music.