If I didn’t care for fun and such, I’d probably amount to much. But I shall stay the way I am, Because I do not give a damn.
My viola style is pretty varied in that I enjoy music and sounds and feel connected to nearly any kind of music if it’s authentic. This is how I try to approach the viola repertoire whether it be Hoffmeister or Bartók or Walton or Aperghis. I try to figure out its language and see how I can get to speak it, if possible fluently. Improvisation helps me stay true to myself though and keeping a fresh musical palette allows me to find new qualities in things I’ve probably played too much! But I do love the viola repertoire so I don’t think I’ll ever tire of finding a new rubato or portamento in Schubert’s Arpeggione nor will I ever stop trying to learn newn and often really challenging pieces!
I love vibrato and any of my students know it’s one of my many obsessions. Every day it’s a little bit different and matches the sound that comes through on any given day. The role of the Viola is a special one and I’m currently diving into the history of feminism, women, witches and covens – or communities!- and I find the viola as a supporter, often a listener in chamber music, bang in the middle of it all. It’s so fun to research something that matches in with your instrument.
Experiencing cultural and musical dimensions should be a right for every person and with ensemble reflektor we try and bring the elements of the rich freelance scene into everyday life for audiences in Germany. The programmes are varied and usually have an element of dialogue between the old and the new and our core repertoire has developed from the Beethoven symphonies to Ethel Smyth, Louise Farrenc and contemporaries such as Ying Wang and inti figgis-vizueta. “Musikvermittlung” is a core aspect of reflektor’s ethos and we’ve the pleasure of working with different schools and foundations in Hamburg and Lüneburg as well being ensemble in residence at PODIUM Esslingen. 2020 the ensemble received the NORDMETALL Ensemble Preis, the first orchestra to receive this award. In the previous year, the ensemble received the Max-Brauer-Prize of the Alfred Toepfer Trust F.V.S. for its civic engagement in northern Germany.
How I came to start teaching is hard to say but I’ve always been interested in different forms of exchange and I just love learning new things! Approaching the Viola in this way has really freed me in the last few years and I love searching for new sounds. My Viola Studio is a safe space to discuss ideas and to try out new things. I aim to support the next generations on their artistic journey while instilling a sense of technical security. This way each player should be able to develop and access their own language with confidence. The idea isn’t to produce Robots all playing Stamitz the same way… but rather to give each young person the tools to be themselves and search for their own style.
Technique
My beginning was as a small kid with the Suzuki Method, a brief spell with the Kodaly Method and then the Franco-Belgian School. As a Violist I was more exposed to the St. Petersburg style via Tatjana Masurenko but because of her also the Karen Tuttle School indirectly via Kim Kashkashian.
The Weimar School of technique was a big asset in finding my own healthy approach to playing and in essence I’m a mixture of all of these experiences and teachers and many other things in life. My main focus now being resonance and “Schwung”.
Healthy movements coming for a natural context – when it feels good and sounds good, well I’m pretty sure it’s probably good. Inspired by musicians such as Karen Tuttle, Nobuko Imai, Tatjana Masurenko und Garth Knox I’m still always searching for a healthy mindset and approach in all facets of teaching.
If you want to have a trial lesson – do please get in touch! I’ll offer one consultation before entrance exams and am thrilled to get to know aspiring young violists.
The 2023 Leipzig based ensemble dives into a new sound world and seeks to disband with the norms of classical music in search of more experimental styles, both in performance and in repertoire. “Requiem for a Dodo” and “Inner Demons” are the first projects put together by the collective and new projects are in the pipeline. Free improvisation, collective compositions as well as individual compositions paired with other contemporary solo and ensemble works for fluid grouping – gem has a broad spectrum of musical possibilities.
Learn more about our Projects
You’re not an island! Interaction with one another let us grow together.
The climate crisis, war, the end of the universe, species extinction, car noise and much more of the present are reflected in the program of the PODIUM Festival 2023. Socio-politically relevant topics will be addressed with musical compositions and presented in lovingly curated concert formats at a wide variety of venues. Joosten Ellée as inspiring artistic director.
Honored to be part of this and looking forward to next year!!
