Interviews with musicians, composers and conductors
My favourite pieces to play are the ones where it feels the composer really understands my instrument and has something meaningful to say; it’s important to me that the music expresses something, even if that’s something a little unusual or unexpected.
When composing for film, it’s a challenge because you are writing music that has to satisfy both yourself, but most importantly the film director. The music needs to tell the story and the film is so dependent on the music to do this.
Everything started when I was three years of age. My parents enjoyed playing our grand piano though they themselves were not professional musicians. Their piano playing greatly influenced my interest in that particular instrument.
Study, listen, watch, and then remember to find yourself in all of that information being thrown at you. We can be good and being good students, but there’s a big leap to working professionally and becoming your own artist
I would say that every piece, every concert is a great challenge – the life of a working musician is endless problem-solving, with each solution only leading to new problems/issues to address. In a way, every moment is a great challenge, as you’re always reaching for a perfection that can never be achieved
Music should always be about something, be for something, be because of something. We spend years honing instrumental or vocal technique, and it is right that that is the primary focus of teaching, but what’s the point if we don’t try and use it to say something. People need the space at a young age to find what their artistic voice might be.
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