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 house was filled with classical music because my parents were both professional musicians – my mother a cellist and orchestra teacher, my dad an oboist, composer/arranger. I am the youngest of four girls, and we all took instrumental lessons. I think I was motivated to prove that although I was the littlest, I could keep up with the rest of them. But my mother’s passion was truly my biggest inspiration. She had a lot of professional setbacks and her true, undying love for playing music made her never give up. She was always practicing, always aiming high, no matter how many “failures” and hurdles came along the way. I fell deeply in love with music;
and I believe that came from observing my mom’s love for music.
What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
Balancing being a mother myself with being a musician. There is so much stigma about women being lesser-than as soon as they are also dedicating themselves to being a mom. She won’t be as available, she won’t be as prepared. And the truth is: connection and loving and giving are the essence of music and make us better musicians. But of course the spreading of oneself and burning the candle at both ends can be a tricky dance. After 11 years of being a mom, it’s still not easy! But I also believe it has made me a much more efficient, productive and organized musician.
Which performances/recordings are you most proud of?
Most definitely my recent release with my ensemble, “hear now berlin”, our debut recording on Backlash Music (released June 2, 2023). So much love went into this project and really portrays the growth, passion and depth of our ensemble. We also recorded a piece of mine and I’m really proud of how it came out. Its success is particularly meaningful to me because it came out of a time during the pandemic where I felt artistically stuck and frustrated. It means a lot to me to have been able to turn that around into a work we feel proud of.
Which particular works/composers do you think you perform best?
Having worked in both classical and jazz realms, my favourite music to play is music that requires a high demand instrumentally, but also expects a contribution from the individual that is more than an interpretation of what’s already been performed in the past. I want to bring something to the table that is uniquely “me” while still finding that great reward in preparing something extremely difficult to play. Contemporary composers like Caroline Shaw, Andrew Norman and Gabriella Smith are leaving more and more room for the individual, and this is where I feel most at home. Nathan Schram wrote us a piece for our new album and he really encouraged the individual’s experimentation and collaboration. It is extremely challenging and I had so much fun making it mine.
What do you do off stage that provides inspiration on stage?
I’ve been an avid journal-writer since I was a kid, having gotten very serious and regular about it in my early 20s. I find writing intentions out on paper really helps solidify a thought and keep you connected to yourself and grounded on stage. I also have so many incredible musician friends
who inspire me every day. I feel so fortunate to listen to their music and be a part of their journey as they turn human experiences into works of art.
Being a good listener – both to music and to the people you care about – is wholly inspiring.
How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?
In my sextet, hear now berlin, we go through a series of pieces that have been suggested and see how we feel about them and how they may or may not fit into our programs that we have planned. Six opinions doesn’t always make it easy, but I think we always come out with the best
outcome!
What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?
I think we need to make the classical music concert experience more about connection.
People enjoy going to see jazz or pop shows because it’s social. They’re sitting with friends, having a drink, enjoying the music, chatting in between songs and experiencing the music together. Classical music should be played more in venues where people can sit at tables and the experience of the music can further connect them to the people they’re with. To me, music is about expression and connection. And when the set up of the concert experience brings more connection to people around them, people will want to come back for more.
What is your most memorable concert experience?
Recently, my ensemble played a collaboration concert with Becca Stevens. This was particularly spectacular, not just because I love Becca’s music, but because she is one of my best friends. It was such a joyous, incredibly fun and musically moving experience. There was so much trust on stage. We all had an absolute blast and the exchange between all seven of us was open, free, and truly connected. And it was in one of Berlin’s most stunning old venues – Heimathafen Neukölln. It really hit all of my personal rewards: connection, demand, intimate ensemble playing, unique contribution on a higher level of consciousness, and musically moving.
As a musician, what is your definition of success?
Such an important question as there are so many ways of defining success and we have all struggled with this at least a few times along the way. Success must be simply: doing what feeds your soul. Whether or not you’re making money at it, or if it’s enough money to feed the family… If your music is connecting you to others and to your own higher consciousness, you have made it.
What advice would you give to young/aspiring musicians?
When I was studying with Jim Walker in LA, I remember feeling overwhelmed when I was suddenly no longer the biggest fish in the sea. After some time of feeling this way, I consciously decided that anything was possible if I just didn’t give up. Just taking those daily steps consciously every single day. Just like my mom did. That of course I could make a life and living in music if I just kept trying, kept believing, kept working. Because the drive and the passion were there. And I believed I had something important to say musically; that I felt I had to say. Eventually, if I just didn’t give up, I knew I would make something happen. So my advice is: believe in yourself and work hard. And maybe most importantly: be humble and vulnerable. Music is about connection and connection is impossible without being vulnerable. We have to be able to give in order to receive, and able to receive in order to give; to our fellow musicians, to our teachers, to our students, and to our audiences.
Hear Now Berlin’s new album MUSIC in CIRCLES is out now
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