- Finding your calling in music
is always a very, very difficult thing.
Maybe one of the most difficult things.
In the case of a string player,
you have the standard sort of options for a career.
Solo playing,
chamber music playing,
orchestral playing, teaching,
and,
it's hard to decide which direction do I wanna go in.
First of all, I think as an undergraduate,
it's probably of most importance to just,
try to be as excellent of a player as you possibly can be,
and then to experience as many of these things as possible,
to try to understand where your talent actually lies.
In a book that I read once
it quoted, "what is your calling?"
And it says, "your calling is the place
"where your greatest inner talent
"and the world's hunger meet."
And sometimes that's so hard for us
to actually be able to find.
But there will be a level
of natural excellence,
that you have that is very, very clear to other people,
even if it's not to yourself.
And sometimes it's so easy for you
to do let's say chamber music playing,
it's so much easier for you than being a soloist
or the other way around,
that you discount it,
because it just seems like it's too easy for you.
You're looking for a challenge
and you wanna be able to push yourself.
But those awarenesses are terribly important.
- Yeah. I was just gonna say that,
putting yourself fully into each aspect of that
when you're an undergraduate is very important.
You know, putting yourself fully into orchestra playing,
putting yourself fully into solo playing,
putting yourself fully into chamber music playing,
really helps you discover what is your calling?
What is your best sort of side?
I mean, I have to say that when I was an undergraduate,
I wasn't at a conservatory full time,
but I was able to explore all these different things.
And I loved playing an orchestra,
I loved playing solo music,
but I think it was pretty clear to me
that what I love doing the most
and what came most naturally to me
was chamber music playing.
I was fortunate in that respect,
that that was somewhat clear to me,
when I was in school and undergraduate.
But I think that every person has to find it out
at the right time.
But I do miss orchestra playing sometimes,
I sometimes miss solo playing,
but I'm happy that I'm finding the chamber music really
is what I'm supposed to be doing right now.
But it's nice to think that no matter what I end up doing,
you know, no matter what any of us ends up doing,
we have these other options as well.
So, it's really,
music is kind of a an amazing career that way
in the sense that nothing is gonna be a bad career.
(laughs)