The Whole Note: Voices of Chamber – the podcast that’s telling the story of culture and diversity in chamber music

Today, I present to you a very special interview with two lovely young ladies who’ve started their very own podcast! The Whole Note: Voices of Chamber is a podcast that’s looking at culture and diversity in chamber music.

Amy Baskurt and Heather Wang tell me about the podcast and their personal experience with music in this interview, but there’s no better way to experience their amazing podcast than listening to it yourself! 

Check out The Whole Note: Voices of Chamber’s website here: https://www.thewholenotepodcast.org/about 

The podcast is available on a variety of streaming services, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. Listen here! https://www.thewholenotepodcast.org/listen

Eva: After being named a 2021 awardee of the Young Musicians Innovation Challenge held by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, you’ve started a podcast that’s diving into the world of diversity in chamber music. Can you tell us about your podcast? What do you hope to achieve through sharing this podcast with the public?

Heather and Amy: 

First of all, we want to thank you very much for taking the time to interview us. We really appreciate your interest in our podcast, for it is something that we are both extremely passionate and excited about.

Just to start off, The Whole Note: Voices of Chamber podcast was co-created in March of 2021 by Amy Baskurt and Heather Wang. We are both students at The Juilliard School’s Pre-college Division, in which Heather studies classical guitar, and Amy studies classical violin. The idea for a podcast came about when we both wanted to expand our personal definitions of chamber music. As we all know, the idea of chamber music can often be limited to a specific image and genre: white males playing classical music. Despite being classically trained, both of us had an interest in learning about different types of chamber music and wished to share our findings and research with a larger audience. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Young Musicians Innovation Challenge gave us the perfect opportunity to create a social project, in which we broke the boundaries of one’s perception on chamber music. Thus, The Whole Note podcast was born!

The effects of COVID-19 also had a large impact and gave us inspiration for the creation of this project. It is often said, and we believe this too, that music brings people together and creates happiness amongst communities. The years 2020 and 2021 have caused a great deal of uncertainty and distress for many. The music community has greatly been affected by the pandemic. In addition to creating specific connections between musicians and our audience, we wish to increase accessibility to different types of music. Our podcast is free/inexpensive to listen to on our website and platforms such as Apple, Spotify, etc.

 

So, you’ve told us the story of The Whole Note – or at least, the part that’s been written so far! I’d love to hear your story, and your story with music. What instruments do you play, and how do you stay involved in the music field? In what way does music inspire you?

Amy:

I started playing violin 13 years ago, at four years old. I grew up in Washington D.C. and started playing at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW). This was a really solid and beautiful foundation for my love for music, because I started developing a large sense of community at such a young age. Community, for me, is one of the most powerful aspects of music, therefore I decided to join the DC Youth Orchestra Program in my 5th grade year. This program was particularly special to me because it is where I met my three best friends to this day. This program encourages music-making all across the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, no matter your socioeconomic background. This program additionally hosts international trips, in which the top orchestra goes to play in different countries (I, for one, was able to play violin in the Musica Riva Festival in Riva del Garda, Italy). 

At the beginning of 6th grade, I switched violin teachers and started studying with Mr. Joseph Scheer. Mr. Scheer is the retired concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Pops Esplanade Orchestra. He in particular inspired my love for music and my passion for musicality. Before having him as my teacher, I never understood how powerful music can be, and this really changed my perspective on the way I approached music. In addition to a mental transformation, Mr. Scheer helped me physically transform my violin playing (technique, musicality, etc.) and I was beginning to sound more professional as a violinist by the time I moved to New York City. 

I moved to New York in the summer of 2018. I was lucky that Mr. Scheer was able to introduce me to a fantastic, and my current, violin teacher: Dr. Ann Setzer. I studied at the New School’s Mannes Prep Program for two years, in which I once again met a lot of great friends. As mentioned previously, I believe that community is something that non-musicians can often overlook when thinking about playing music. Mannes really helped me improve my skills as a violinist, and I was offered multiple leadership positions at this school (Concertmaster of the Philharmonic and Principal 2nd of the Symphony). During my sophomore year I auditioned for The Juilliard School’s Pre-college Division, because Dr. Setzer taught there. I was very fortunate to be accepted and am still very grateful to be able to study at The Juilliard School.

At Juilliard, I met Heather! She was my chamber partner during my junior year, and I could not have asked for a better one. We participated in many different chamber competitions, one of which was the Young Musicians Innovation Challenge from CMS. This challenge particularly inspired me because I understand how chamber music comes often with a stigma: it is not meant for everyone, one can only play classical music, etc. Heather and I therefore wanted to break this stigma for a larger audience and redefine chamber music. 

Outside of school, I stay engaged in the music community by acting as a student performing in The United Nations Chamber Music Society, run by Ms. Brenda Vongova. This is such a powerful opportunity for me, because the society uses music as a way of expressing the values of The United Nations. I have learned to understand that peace and music are interconnected, and therefore should be shown together. I also teach violin to younger students, which I believe to be a strong position as well. I aim to help students with violin as much as I possibly can, teach them to love music greatly, and understand the importance of music in the real world (including the expression of peace). 

Heather: 

I play the guitar, piano, drumset, and electric bass. My introduction to music actually wasn’t through classical guitar, which is the instrument I focus on now. 

I spent the majority of my childhood in Beijing, China, where I actually started learning piano first at the age of 6 with a private teacher. When I moved to America, I was extremely focused on being a pianist but also became really interested in the guitar, however at that point in time I didn’t know classical guitar existed, so I mainly learned how to play chords and pop songs in my private lessons; a lot of my friends are amazing singers, so back then I would strum chords on the guitar while they sang, and it was always so much fun. I then became really interested in the drumset, so I started to take lessons with a private teacher as well, where I was introduced to drum solos and the music of bands and artists like Led Zeppelin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Green Day, AC/DC, and more. 

There was one point in my life where I was learning piano, guitar, and the drums at the same time, and I honestly wish I could have continued to do that, but as I grew older and schoolwork started piling up I realized that it wasn’t realistic, so I decided to stop taking drum lessons. It was actually a really hard decision to make, since I really do love all three instruments equally. 

When I was in middle school I decided that I wanted to audition for Juilliard Pre-College. I was actually initially planning on auditioning to study piano in the program, however I eventually changed my mind and decided to focus on classical guitar instead when I realized there was a whole world of amazing, beautiful classical guitar repertoire that I hadn’t even touched yet. I spent my freshman year of high school studying with Tali Roth, who is the head of the Juilliard Pre-College guitar department. When I was accepted into the program, I couldn’t believe it; I had spent my middle-school years dreaming about having the chance to be a part of Juilliard Pre-College, so actually getting in was so surreal to me. 

Other than Juilliard, I also love to be involved with music in my high school. I played piano in the orchestra for a year, I played guitar and keyboard in the band, and I play electric guitar in my school’s jazz ensemble. I have a friend who is an amazing bassist, and she inspired me to teach myself how to play the electric bass in freshman year after I watched her play some really cool bass solos. This upcoming year, which is my senior year, one of my friends and I are starting a student-led division of the school band that will give students a space to come and try out instruments and experiment with music from any genre of their choice; I am super excited about it and I think it will be an amazing chance for people to have fun and enjoy music together! Outside of school, I volunteer with Concerts in Motion, which is a nonprofit organization with the mission to bring live concerts to socially-isolated individuals in New York City. I perform in the concerts of their Youth Program, and it is always such an honor to be able to play for their audiences and have conversations with them. 

Music inspires me because I truly believe it is something that everybody loves. People may have very different tastes in music and enjoy listening to or playing very different genres; some people may be more enthusiastic about music than others, but at the end of the day there is something for everyone, if that makes sense. In other words, music is something that everybody can love and enjoy, no matter how different or similar we are. 

 

I find that for me, chamber music is powerful in how it creates amazing connections between musicians. Why did you choose to tackle the subject of chamber music in your podcast?

Heather: 

Amy and I both really enjoy playing chamber music, and we are actually chamber partners in the Juilliard Pre-College program; that’s how we met! I think that chamber music is one of the best examples of how music is a universal language that can connect people from different cultures and backgrounds, which is also extremely relevant and important to our focus on the role of culture and diversity in the music world. I also think chamber music is just such a special thing in general; it’s like an unspoken agreement between a group of musicians to create something bigger using every single person’s unique ideas and intentions. 

Of course, the obvious answer would be that the 2021 CMS Young Musicians Innovation Challenge was hosted by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and had a specific focus on chamber music in its prompt, however Amy and I definitely have our own appreciation of chamber music that made it the subject matter of our podcast! 

 

Your podcast is looking at chamber music through the lens of culture and diversity. Can you describe a time where you saw a need for this diversification of music?

Heather:

There has always been a need for the diversification of music, however I have not always been able to see and recognize that. 

I grew up playing works by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, and Schubert. They are all wonderful composers, however they are also all white, male composers. All of my friends who were musicians seemed to be learning pieces by these same composers as well. When I was younger, I didn’t raise the question of why this was the case; I played what was assigned to me, and that was that. However, as I grew older and was introduced to different composers from different backgrounds as well as different styles of music, I started to realize and question why classical music, as a genre, seems to be historically represented by white, male composers and European classical styles, when there are so many composers in the world, such as composers of color and female composers, that also deserve an immense amount of recognition and representation for their talent and amazing work, representation and recognition that they have not historically received.  

This past year Amy and I took a course together in the Juilliard Pre-College program called “Underrepresented Composers,” where we learned a lot about the lives of many composers of color and female composers, and also explored and listened to their compositions. We are still learning everyday, and every time we have a guest on our podcast we learn something new. 

There has always been a need for the diversification of music, I just think that more and more people are realizing it now and are speaking out about it, which is definitely one of the goals of our podcast.  

I had the chance to listen to your first podcast episode with Brenda Vongova, who founded the UN chamber society. I found the podcast informative and intriguing, as Ms. Vongova has quite the interesting intersection between her career, music, and personal interests. What’s one highlight from this podcast episode that you’d like to share with readers?

Heather and Amy:

Ms. Brenda Vongova’s story was very inspirational, and she was able to teach us both (and our audience as well) about loving one’s craft and music. Both of us felt as though passion and learning about drive in what you love was a particular highlight. Ms. Vongova, for instance, spoke about always giving your full attention and effort into your music and having it manifest in all aspects of your life as well.

Just by listening to her interview, one can sense the passion and dedication that Ms. Vongova has, and we believe that this is something everyone should understand and apply to their own lives (not only in music, but in everything). 

 

Lastly, I always ask this in my interviews: what’s one piece of music (or two) that you think everyone needs to listen to?

Heather: 

  1. “Merry-Go-Round” by Joe Hisaishi 
  2. “Gladiolus Rag” by Scott Joplin 

Amy:

  1. “La plus que lente” by Claude Debussy
  2. Honestly, in addition to listening to classical music, I encourage musicians to step outside of their comfort zone. Listen to as many pieces and genres of music as you can! Working on this podcast has taught me this. 

 

I’d like to thank Amy and Heather for their willingness to share their story with me! Musicians like Amy and Heather are transforming the music scene and I’m very grateful for that. Again, make sure you listen to the podcast here: https://www.thewholenotepodcast.org/listen

(I can promise you that it’s definitely worth your time! ? )

 

 

 

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