What was your first job in the performing arts?
Performing on stage at age 15 at a summer workshop in New Jersey. I played the Beethoven Second Sonata, and in the middle of the second movement, a frantic page turn sent the music flying off the stand. I carried on playing, and a kind gentleman came forward and put the music back – upside down. I played the rest from memory. That was the beginning of a long career playing recitals out of my head.
Who has been the most influential mentor or figure in your journey, and what did they teach you?
The great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. I first heard his recordings at age 10, just when I started the cello, and I was mesmerised then and still am now. No one comes close to his level of playing and musicianship on the instrument.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
It was from Rostropovich: serve the composer. We come to the stage to represent the composer, and as long as we focus on that instead of ourselves, our job will be clear, and our performance will have integrity.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Two things: make sure you are doing it for the right reasons, and remember there are no guarantees of success.
What’s one unexpected skill you’ve picked up during your career that surprised you?
I didn’t realise, when I began playing, how important it was to understand where the music came from. Who was Schubert, and why did he compose? How was he different from his contemporary Beethoven? Having had to contextualise music for audiences over many years, I’ve acquired not only the music education I should have received in my teens, but also interpretational skills that give me real confidence in what I’m doing.
What’s your favourite inspirational quote?
“If you are not practising, somebody else is.”
If you weren’t working in the performing arts, what would you have been?
I honestly don’t know. I can’t remember ever wanting to be something else.
