Ambi Subramaniam is a violinist, composer, and educator. He started performing on stage when he was six years old and was described as the “new king of Indian classical violin” by the Times of India. He was also described as ‘India’s 24-year-old Itzhak Perlman’ by the Ozy Magazine.
Ambi is the Associate Dean of the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa), an institute that trains musically inclined children to become professional performers. In 2014, Ambi started the SaPa in Schools program with his sister, Bindu Subramaniam. SaPa in Schools is an initiative to integrate music into the mainstream academic curriculum, and works with 25,000 children in India as of 2018.
Along with his sister, Bindu Subramaniam, he started a contemporary world music band, SubraMania in 2013. In 2018, he created The Thayir Sadam Project with Bindu and Carnatic fusion artist, Mahesh Raghvan.
Read about his journey in music and his learnings from varied musical experiences from his extensive travel around the world that he has performed solo as well as with his father, Dr. L Subramaniam.
Let’s start with how many hours you practise the violin.
It has been quite erratic since lockdown started, I was practising quite a bit – 9 to 10 hours a day, and then I was doing a lot of Western classical violin. Then, for a couple of months, I was doing a lot of piano.
Do you feel one helps the other?
Oh yeah, for sure and I think it unlocks a different side of music for me because the way I approach the piano is different from the way I think as a violinist, and I feel I enjoy composing with the piano. Because I feel that my relative lack of skill with the piano helps me write better lines. Sometimes, if you have the instrument in your hands, like if I have the violin, I am always worried about writing things for me specifically. So, you write things that you can play, you try to do something that you know works for you but then when I’m playing the piano I’m thinking more of melody, more of the composition. I’m kind of decoupling the ‘me playing’ part versus the ‘me composing’ part.
Is it because the piano can be used with all songs?
That’s one reason. But also, nowadays, I really enjoy writing for different people. So, if I am doing a collaboration, I enjoy the process of studying the other person’s work and writing something that will really sound good for them or bring out the best in them. So, then when you are thinking of them, automatically your pieces will start sounding different.
So, this is an effort from your side to be different from who you are? To make your music distinct…
Yeah, and it ends up pushing me in different directions as well. Because then, if I’m writing different pieces that are not specifically meant for my strengths or to hide my weaknesses, then once I have the violin in my hand and I have to record, I am also forced to play in a different way that suits the songs. Or try different things that I may not have done if I had just started playing the violin.
Interesting! What have you learnt musically?
So growing up, we learnt Carnatic singing, Carnatic violin, Western violin, and piano. We, actually, learnt the piano for a number of years, but I kind of stopped somewhere in the middle.
When did you start learning music?
I started learning the violin and voice when I was 3. I think I started the piano at 6 or 7 .
You directly started the violin at 3?
Yes.
That’s like a rite of passage for all of you – like something you have to do?
Yeah, but I think that was nice because I don’t think any of us felt that pressure at that age. Like you need to do this and that, but looking at Bindu’s daughter and all of that, I feel it was more that as parents or aunts and uncles, these are the things that make them happy, so they just want to make sure that, whatever excuse they had, we’re at least exposing the kids to those things.
That’s wonderful. Is it really possible for a 3-year-old to play the violin?
It depends on what your expectations are! I don’t think I would have played anything extraordinary!
I mean even holding the violin and bow…is it something 3-year-olds can do?
Yes, you can. You have much smaller violins, they are of different sizes. They are tiny violins and for me, at that point, it was more about sitting with my dad and imitating what he was trying to do. In that sense, the ‘learning process’ wouldn’t have been formal at all. It was more about developing a love for the instrument and being in that environment and imbibing a lot of things. So, by that time you know what is happening, you have some set of skills!
Do you know when you actually fell in love with the violin?
I think I always enjoyed playing the instrument. Probably when I was about 13. That is when I decided that I wanted to become a musician. That shift happened at that time.
You were also a good vocalist at that time.
Yes, we all learnt, I did enjoy singing a lot, and that continued into my early 20s. But, at a certain point, you have to take a call and I wanted to spend all my time on the violin. I was worried about not having time to do one properly and doing everything badly!
Is there any adjustment process that happens when you move from a smaller violin to a larger one?
There is, because the spacing is different. So, if you put a bigger size violin in a kid’s hand, there is always that adjustment. The first month or so, everything will sound out of tune. And it can also be a little frustrating, if you are playing at a certain level and then all of a sudden, nothing seems to work! There is that little bit of adjustment but after that you set the standard, or you figure out what your new spacing should be.
By the time a kid is 8, can he/she use a full-size violin?
Generally that is at about 12.
By 12, wouldn’t your fingering have set if you are learning from a very young age?
The adjustment is not that hard to do. It requires a little bit of time, because I think as you get bigger, the smaller violins start to feel smaller and smaller. If you are trying to play a semitone in one of the smaller violins, which you have outgrown, you will struggle to play that as your fingers have gotten too big for that.
Does the size of your fingers matter? Is it easier if you have more nimble fingers?
I would say it is an advantage for certain things but for the most part it’s more about finger dexterity that you work on. For example, I have long fingers so that does help me, but like say in a standard position, if you are supposed to be able to play 4 notes, even people with small fingers can reach 5 notes if they do those finger extensions and practise. If you have long fingers, you might be able to reach 6 notes. Just like with the piano as well, even people with small fingers, adults, of course, can reach an octave. But if you look at some of these pieces by Chopin with the left hand, he plays an octave and a half! But nowadays, we use the pedal for that. So that’s not a big deal. You can still play all of that but legend says that since he had super long fingers (we don’t know any of these things for sure), he was able to play one and a half octaves without shifting his hand!
How many hours did you train when you started? Did you practise outside of class?
When I was in school, I used to practise 4 hours a day.
How old would you have been – 6?
A little later. I used to practise a lot during summer holidays. I always used to complain about that, but my dad used to say that summer holidays are a time when you can catch up. You don’t have school, you don’t have any other thing so now, you can practise and practise!
Was it helpful for you since your siblings were also doing this?
Yeah, for sure, I mean, of course, there were days when I would rather watch TV or do something else. But I think that that kind of discipline helped and the fact that we were all doing things we were passionate about really helped. I think one thing that our parents taught us in a very positive way was, ‘Figure out what you are interested in and then push yourselves there.’ Whatever that is, do it well.
Not necessarily the violin…
Absolutely. They wanted all of us to have that exposure, which is why we learnt all these things, But then if you look at it, my brother is now a doctor. He is not doing anything professionally with music; my sister and I are musicians but both of us do different things that we like doing – home genres as it were…
Like SubraMania and the Thayir Sadham project…
Yeah. That has always been there. Obviously, my parents are happy that we are in music, but I don’t think there was this pressure that you have to be a musician or a violinist. I don’t think that is sustainable. You need to do what interests and excites you.
How old were you when you first gave a concert? Were you alone on the stage or with your father?
The first time I was on stage, I was 6. My brother, I, and my sister were singing something, I don’t remember what! The first time I was on stage with the violin, I was 7, but what was really nice was that there were a lot of positive experiences that I had as a child on stage and, to some extent, that has nothing to do with your technical skills or how good you are. I’m sure I was playing a lot of nonsense on stage!
There have been instances where my dad would plan something but would do something completely different on stage!
Was it a Carnatic piece?
Yeah, yeah. Here and there, I would play, I was not on the road at that age. I would play once in a while here and there. Whether I played a good concert or a terrible one, I came off stage feeling good.
Was it because you were surrounded by your siblings and your family?
At that age, obviously there is no pressure and you are not thinking about a thousand things in your head about what can go wrong and what will this person say or any of those things. You are just going and doing something you enjoy doing. And more often than not, even if you do something badly, I was a 7-year-old kid. People would mostly say nice things to you!
It was probably cute if you made a mistake…
Exactly, so by the time I knew what was going on, I was about 13, and I had decided that I wanted to become a musician. That was also the time I started travelling a lot for concerts – with my father. We used to do it together. At that point, I had already had these positive experiences, so that pressure was not there. It was just the pressure of playing with my dad. In those kinds of respects, my dad doesn’t really give an inch, in the sense that he has been doing it for so many years. And sometimes, there have been instances where he would plan something but would do something completely different on stage!
Would it be impromptu on stage?
Yeah, yeah. There have been instances where he has announced the name of a piece that he is going to start and then between his announcing and playing his first notes, he would have changed his mind again!
I remember once he announced something but when he started, I realised that it was different, not that piece at all! Obviously, he has his reasons, but he would tell me that at that point, if you feel like playing a piece and you end up playing something else, you will never perform it at the level you can do. So, if you really want to play something but your mind is somewhere else…if you are playing something because you have to, then (it doesn’t work)…I get that now! At that point, maybe I didn’t, but I think those were great learning experiences because it keeps you on your toes.
Did he do that to keep you on your toes, to keep you alert so you would pick up quickly? Or did he actually want to play something else between announcing and playing?
Initially, I wasn’t sure. I thought it was the former. But now, I am pretty sure it’s the latter because he does that now whether I am playing with him or not! I generally like to be prepared when I play in a concert. I like to have a plan in my head so I can execute things better. As I am playing more concerts now, once in a while, I also end up doing that. Like I plan something and go there but, for some reason, I think that that is not the right song to play then. You think that the audience will like something else or you think that the sound is better for a different type of piece looking at the acoustics, or your mind is somewhere else. In those instances, I may have fought it a little more and this could also be a skill thing, right? So, maybe 5 -10 years ago, even if I wanted to play something else, I would still play the piece I had practised. I wouldn’t have had enough confidence to execute something that is in my head but that I have not worked on.
I remember once we were in a temple in Mauritius, when we were playing all of a sudden my dad was inspired by that place and the mood and he created a composition there!
Now, you are more confident…
It’s a process. Now, I try to fight that a little less in my head.
You are ready to take the challenge…
To some extent I would say, when I was starting my career, or even 10 years ago, the focus would have been on getting things right. I would think in my head that I need to have one perfect concert where I don’t make any mistakes. I go and come off stage feeling like everything I wanted to do I did, and it came out well, I didn’t miss any notes – all of that. But now the thinking has changed, I don’t think there is anything like a perfect concert, but the idea is to grow every day and be able to execute and challenge yourself differently every day. Now, if I look at a ‘perfect concert’ where I got everything right, and there were no issues, I think that that could possibly be because I have not challenged myself enough. Especially in an improvised setting if you nailing everything, you are not trying hard enough. So, if you are always pushing yourself, it is okay.
Your goals have changed. From getting the notes right to doing something that challenges you more…
Yeah, because I realise that sometimes, especially in certain situations when I am on tour or you are doing the same set, again and again playing the same songs in different places, I feel that if you are prepared and you are doing this for a while, your mind stops working.
You start playing mindlessly because your fingers know what to play…
Exactly! I find that dangerous because if you are playing on autopilot, then you are not growing at all.
True. Did your father choose pieces that you knew when he was improvising?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no! I remember we were in a temple in Mauritius, there is an amazing Devi temple there. We were invited to play there, and when we were playing, all of a sudden, he was inspired by that place and the mood and he created a composition there – like he was going to play for that temple…
Would he tell you the ragam, how would you pick it up?
So, what preparation is there? He doesn’t know what the next line is going to be himself, so what will he tell me?! I really enjoy these challenges. You really want to do your best, obviously, but then, at that point, it is important not to put pressure on yourself, because the moment that happens, your mind switches off. Sometimes, you are put in these situations and you may not do a very good job, and I tend to analyse these things – what went wrong, what should I have done better, or this is why this didn’t happen well, so, in my head, I want to be ready for the next time so nothing like that happens again.
How do you prepare for these impromptu performances?
For example, we were playing one of these kritis where my dad was playing a lot of embellishments around, going all out with the piece. And at that point, my mind was working well, I was in a good space, my fingers were working fine so I was trying to play everything he was playing, and I thought I had done a very good job. But then, we heard the recording and I realised that I had totally destroyed everything that he had tried to do! Because however fast and however accurate you are, if you are listening to somebody else and trying to play the same thing. you will always be a split second behind, and while you are doing that, you are coming in the way. So, I decided that the next time something like happens, I would make sure that I would be giving space and adding to those embellishments. Even with this kind of thing, if there is a new composition, I won’t necessarily try to play exactly everything he is playing. You are trying to create a space where the other person can do their best.
And when Bindu and I do the Thayir Sadham project or SubraMania or any of those things, nowadays, I look at things very differently from the way I used to look at them before. Earlier, I would say, ‘this is the piano line I wrote, this is the guitar line I wrote, and if somebody forgets their lines I should be able to play that’ so the song goes in the right direction. But now, I think the idea is to give everyone their space where they can do their best and then if you are able to embellish what everyone is doing then it doesn’t really matter what you, as an individual, are playing. Again, I think overall everyone is doing their best and you are adding sprinkles to the top. Then, the overall performance is so much better and you realise as you get older that this whole thing of wanting to shine and wanting to be the star, wanting to do something virtuosic and impressive – all these things can be totally meaningless. You want to be in a situation where you are making good music and everyone is doing their best. I find that if I am trying to do everything and worrying about all those things and as a result I am not giving anybody their space to do their thing, then at the end of the day, the overall output is much less.
What do you do now? You do your bit and if they make a mistake, you let them make it up?
I try to make sure that at different points, different people are leading the way they want to, and I try to play based on what they are doing also. And I realise that that is a lot easier in an improvised setting but even in a Carnatic setting, sometimes there is the concept of a main and side artiste, where one person is the creativity and everybody else is accompanying. I completely disagree with that, in the sense that if you open it up to percussion artists, like the mridangam or ghatam or tabla player, sometimes they will take it in a completely different direction, which is great.
You are creating as an ensemble. It works well because you may not have the best day but it might be the gig of his life for your keyboard player! Or on that day, your drummer might just be landing everything. If that’s the case I give them a little more space. In concerts, you will always find a space for yourself. We are in a position to do this because we have also written the pieces, so you know what direction you want it to head in, so you can always add some lines. Some days, the keyboard player we work with – Frijo – he will just take it somewhere else and when he is in that mood, I don’t want to lose that at all. So, you see how you can add things so that the overall output is good and some days if I am in a good space, I will take it forward.
So, it is also a question of knowing your ensemble and once that environment of ‘give and take’ is there, every time you play, you find that perfect balance.
Is this easier to do in a band than in a Carnatic concert where, like you say, the singer will probably lead.
Yes, to some extent. I think in the Carnatic context, it is not something that is done very often. I am not sure how many people actually do that. It may take a little getting used to. Personally, for me, there have been many instances; I remember one time, we were doing something at SaPa itself, and I was playing with this amazing mridangam player. I was not in the right headspace, for whatever reason, I felt like it was not really working for me and I was not able to execute what I wanted to but the mridangam player was on his A game from the second he started, and then 5 minutes later, that totally lifted what I was doing. You look at how he is taking it somewhere else and that lifts you and the entire performance. Sometimes, in these improvisation sections, there will be some gap, some fill-up, some flash that they do, then you look at that and think of building on that idea. That does happen quite a bit.
A few butterflies in your stomach (when you are on stage) is always a good thing, because if you are feeling nothing, it probably means that you don’t care!
Have you tried this in Carnatic at SaPa or anywhere else where you allow any of the instrumentalists to lead?
I do that quite regularly actually as I really love the results as it pushes and challenges you as well. Everyone has their own comfort zone and their way of thinking. If it’s the mridangam player it’s a rhythmic pattern that you can riff off of, or the pianist or mandolin player or flute player may play a certain phrase or technique that is specific to their instrument. Then, it is really interesting.
Last year I was playing with Shashank (flautist), and he was fantastic. Suddenly, he brought a completely different perspective and then you think of how to complement or contrast what he is doing. It becomes a fun challenge and it pushes you away from your comfort zone but you look at how to add value to it.
Did you ever give exams in music growing up?
I did give ABRSM and Trinity exams. We did the Western music exams but we didn’t do the Indian music ones. I did the LTCL (Trinity) in violin. When we were kids, I did Grade 5 piano and theory but that was a long time ago.
Since you had such a positive experience on the stage from the beginning, did you not experience any stage fright?
No, I have been lucky. A little bit of those nerves came a lot later, I would say because when you are older, you start overthinking and start getting worried about not being able to land. If you are playing a piece, there is always that one hard phrase so you’re thinking, ‘I shouldn’t mess up there!’ and so you’ve already lost the battle. Those things were there but luckily because of those positive experiences, I didn’t really have too many nerves when I was playing on the stage, but having said that, a few butterflies in your stomach is always a good thing, because if you are feeling nothing it probably means that you don’t care!
Amitabh bachchan said that each time he records for KBC, he gets a bit of nerves. That is a good thing.
Yes. One musician told me this and it helps a lot. Sometimes you do things to get your heart rate up. Even if it is jumping up and down before you go on stage, it really helps.
To warm your fingers? Do you have a routine?
Ideally, I like to be prepared and make sure that the first note lands. Especially in music festivals, when one person is playing after the other, what ends up happening is that your first 10-15 minutes becomes a warm up. Personally, I don’t want to do that so, it is always that balance you are trying to find, where your fingers are nicely warmed up. Also, you haven’t played so much that you are bored by the time you are on stage!
The perfect balance…
I made that mistake once. I wanted to practice well for this concert so I kept playing the whole day. By the time I was on stage, I was mentally finished. That was a good lesson for me.
How was your on-stage performance that day?
I am guessing it was not very good! I think I was about 15 or 16 at that time. By the time I was on stage, I think halfway through the performance, I felt that I was done for the day!
Do you have a preference – solo or playing with your father or in the band?
Not really, I enjoy the fact that every day can be different and I really enjoy the fact that we can do different things with different challenges – tomorrow is going to be a completely different situation. It pushes you to think in a different way. So, I do enjoy all of these things. If I had to do only one thing every day for six months, I would probably not be happy.
Have you ever played in an orchestra?
For a very brief period when I was 8 or 9. I was learning with a Western violin teacher, and there was an orchestra. We used to practice once in a while; there weren’t too many performances – we may have done one or two. Playing in a group, in a community – listening to others playing…that was something I enjoyed. But of course, there are situations now where we play with a lot of orchestras and different ensembles, but that is as a soloist – so a different capacity.
Is it more difficult to listen to someone playing while maintaining your own note and tone than giving a solo performance though the pressure is all on you there?
I would say the skill set required is different. What happens is if you are playing as a soloist, the skill required is a lot more – on a technical level. Whether you are leading or following, you still have to be able to listen to everybody else at the same time. Even in a Carnatic context, (unless you are playing by yourself), when you are playing with the mridangam or tabla, you have to be able to listen to the other person and adapt. So, the way I play changes a lot based on who I am playing with. Because each mridangam player has different strengths and they take you in a different direction. If I am able to do my part well but also create a structure where people I am playing with are also able to do that and give their best, then, at the end, you get a much better performance.
Do you have a fixed ensemble? Or do they keep changing?
I end up playing with a few people. You do have your first and second choices. But schedules are such that you don’t always get to play with the same set of people. Sometimes even when you are recording, you think that this person should play for this. Different people have their speciality – things they do really well. So, whatever that thought process is then, we go with that.
‘Doing something cannot be an excuse for not doing something else.’
Do you specifically write songs for each of the instrumentalists in your band? Like songs where the drum or the violin has the central part?
That depends on who you are collaborating with – if it is a guitarist and you really want them to go all out on the track, then you will create something like that. That goes for any other instrument as well. A lot of times in concerts, we do have one piece designated for a drum solo or a piece centered around the piano. So, in those pieces you may extend or let them go all out, so you take it on the fly. Even in situations where it may not be specifically written, if you think that they will do something well, you break it down and give them a section. It is fun to try out these things on stage. Also that kind of flexibility on the stage is nice when you are working with people you have worked with for many years, so they also know the pieces, they know what you expect, and then if you push something out of their comfort zones, they still know enough about the structure and are ready to do and add their bits.
As a child, it is very important for you to practise even when you don’t feel like playing.
You are travelling from the age of 13 with your father. So, did you miss school a lot?
I did. But I did an MBA in finance, and then a PhD in music and all that. My dad always said, ‘Doing something cannot be an excuse for not doing something else.’ So, I think it was always a balance between the two, and I also enjoyed that side of life with academics. So, that was something I had to juggle with but I think we were used to it and at some point, you learn to find things that work for you.
You must have been busy with either studying or playing ?
You realise there is a finite amount of time in a day. Then, you stop doing other things. I think that if you really want to do something badly, after a while, you put in a little more effort.
Are there any habits that you must include in your daily practice – as a child and as a professional?
Yes, I think as a child, it is very important for you to practise even when you don’t feel like playing. Those days are inevitable and I think it is important to always work on technique every day so sometimes if I don’t have enough time – if I was playing less, I was always told to reduce time on playing the pieces but not on the time of skill building technique, exercises, skills – those kinds of things.
Do you practise that every day?
That’s where your muscle memory comes from. Now, I may not practise technique or skill, I am fairly confident that I can play a phrase that I think of. I think that is something you need to build when you are starting an instrument. It takes its own time. For me now, more focus would be on trying new things, finding different ways of doing things, expanding my thought process whether that is with collaborations or working with people who think differently from you, or listening to different channels of music, and trying to build complementary skill sets that will help you. All of these things are the things that I think of now. I wouldn’t have thought of this as a kid.
What sort of music did you grow up listening to?
I listened to different genres of music. As siblings, we all liked different styles of music. Obviously a lot of Indian and Western classical. We also listened to contemporary and world music. My dad would collaborate with amazing artistes from different parts of the world. When you meet them and see the music that they do…it would be music you would never have heard before.
For example…?
There was this incredible musician from Senegal. He was playing the kora. It was an instrument I had never seen before. You don’t know what to expect. Another time, when we were travelling, we met an Irish fiddler. You realise that when you are listening to music in the pop or contemporary space, and then you listen to it in its pure form, it’s very different. It breaks stereotypes in your head. I’m sure it’s the same when people listen to some form of classical music in Bollywood versus listening to classical music as it is. Not to say that one is better than the other. But it will sound very different.
The purer version versus freestyle…
The thing is if you were to listen to Bollywood and your perception of classical music comes from there, say for someone who is not Indian, if they go to a concert, they are not going to be listening to the same thing. So, I think those experiences are very interesting for me. You listen to an Arabic riff or an oud playing in a Sting song, you think you have an idea but when you go there and listen to the traditional music there, it’s very different.
Is it something that has to grow on you?
I think it is important to have an open mind. One style is not better than the other but everybody has their preferences. One person may fall in love with a style of music immediately. For somebody else, it may not be as appealing. As an artiste, if you are looking at broadening your horizon, it’s important to stick with that and find…There may be styles that you don’t like the first 5 times you listen to them. But the sixth time, you might find something you really like in it. That can help you grow as an artiste.
It’s important to keep working on building skill levels in whatever excites you.
Any favourite singers or musicians apart from your father?
Plenty. There are a few violinists I like – one from Russia, another from Hungary, and the USA. There’s an obsession with saying ‘best’ and ‘favourite’. You look at these incredible musicians from around the world and there is no way of comparing them.
How can a lay person distinguish between two performances? They all sound incredibly brilliant. Is there a space for everyone?
I feel that we don’t have to always compare. You find music that resonates with you. Honestly, what does it matter if a critic says a piece of music is bad? If you like it…I find this a lot in the classical space, especially Western classical. Everyone is playing the same piece and you have 100 versions. I will listen to a version that is absolutely fantastic and then you scroll down and see the comments trashing the artiste and supporting another person. I find that very childish. That can be very personal. I may have grown up listening to one version of one artiste that I have a strong emotional connect with. I have arguments with my dad about these things. But then, at the end of the day, as a listener if it resonates with you, that’s all that matters. I find this especially in the classical scene. If people are not ‘knowledgeable’, they think they don’t know enough to comment, to enjoy…sometimes people say in Carnatic music…’I am a rasika but I don’t know enough about all those things.’ I feel that that shouldn’t matter. It’s always good to learn a little bit more about the music and the process but that shouldn’t dictate whether or not you enjoy something. If I am playing a concert to someone who has never heard Carnatic music, they should still enjoy it. Whether they have learnt it for 10 years or not.
Was there any tip that your father shared with you that you would like to share?
He has always been about hard work and consistency. You work and work and you won’t necessarily see results and that’s okay. A lot of things take a lot of work to see those results.
How many days in a year do you travel?
There was a time when I was travelling 8-9 months a year. I slowed that down as stuff on the SaPa side also was growing and I wanted to be there. I would say 6 months in a year on average (pre-pandemic of course!).
Do you have any advice for youngsters learning music?
It’s important to keep working on building skill levels in whatever excites you. There is some focus on matching your different interests. I think we are working and building skills for jobs that don’t exist yet. And already we see a lot of cases where people with two or three cool skill sets, that they are able to bring together, are able to do things that no one else is able to do. So, you can be a music person who is a techie, or a music person and graphic designer or animator or a singer and pianist and a guitar player. It’s important to keep building skills in the areas that interest you. Even if you are not able to bring it together at the moment, they may click at some other point.
Violinist, pianist, vocalist, composer, do you dream of conducting an orchestra one day like Zubin Mehta?
We’ll have to see. I’m open to it, but we’ll see what happens!
