Future Classic Women Awards – 2020 Insturmentalist Winner

Hello and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte on women's radio station. The program will be searched for the most amazing new female artist on the classical panorama. Today I'm excited to reveal the winner of the instrumentalist section of the second edition of Feature Classic Win awards. Before I tell you who she is, I would like you to listen to her first piece of today interview and let you guess who she might be. Sa. It's. Sa. So this was Raynald Deglare, impromptu for harp. And the winner of Future Classic Women Awards instrumentalist section is Charin Kim. Hello, Charin. Hello. So nice to hear you again. Congratulations in winning the second edition of Future Classic Women Awards. Where were you when you receive the news that you are the instrumentalist winner? Oh, thank you so much. Well, wonderful. Well, yes, I wanted to ask you, how do you feel about winning this award? I mean, this is a popular award given by the listeners of the program Future Classic Women Awards. So you were a nominee among many incredible artists and then the finalists and then you ended up actually winning. So how do you feel about this? I only can express how much I am thankful and words cannot express. First of all, I thank to almighty God, Jesus Christ who gave strength through my musical journey. Also I thank to my husband who loves me deeply and my parents, my brother who supported my music in their whole lives. And I also thank so much to your organization, radio station, wonderful radio station and audience who loved my music. It's just beyond express, beyond explanation that I can express by words. Well, thank you. Thank you so much for being part of it, you know, and being, you know, giving you your wonderful music. Now why. Why did you choose the Reynold Glee Impromptu as the first song for today? I felt it shows some glorious moments when I practiced. I like the sound of some glory that there are some sentimental parts and gives messages of total overcome while you are hearing this piece. Very short, just maybe under five minutes. But it gave joy to practicing playing. So I thought audience might enjoy. Absolutely. Well, I enjoy. How would you say? It's really lifting the spirit is really something that is bringing you away in a faraway land. I really love it. Right. Thank you so much. Talking about being far away. Where are you now? Last time when we interviewed you, you were in Florida. I remember taking some time to research and compose. Are you back in Boston or somewhere else in the world? I'm still in Florida and I am teaching. I'm teaching remote at university, but I'm still in Florida. But my original town is Boston. Yes, so are you planning how is it going with the lockdown now in Florida? I try to do enjoy every day as much as I can. Whether situation is hard or good. I try to adjust myself and to give my best. Absolutely. Now you know, I heard that in America, for example, in Colorado lessons are kind of going back to normal. So it would be a mix of online and in person lessons. Are you going to do that or you're just going to teach it remote? I think for now, this upcoming, this semester, I mean this fall will be remote for sure. So I will remain remote. And if school opens next semester, I plan to go back or maybe I can stay here one more semester preparing concerts and composing some other music. Wonderful. Now, how important it is to teach lesson instead of teaching in remote. Even just the interview that we're doing in remote is not the same as if you were in the studio, if we were actually having the opportunity of meet each other. How different it is to teach online. Yes, it's very true. It's different, different approach. I would say they're good and bad in every different situation. But I try to focus on positive sides of it. So for example, when you teach a student one to one, face to face, there are things that you can catch more lively with the tone quality or dynamic contrast or as everything as real. Because you cannot replace any recording of any music as you cannot replace with the real concert. Right. So it's the same thing. But I see the passion beyond eager to learn from students, even from remote. They try to focus so much, they observe everything so carefully. They're so thankful and happy. And I try to send if they don't understand or if they have a hard time fixing their positions or technique. I try to take other extra time to make videos of myself with the correct hand position and fingerings. I write down and send captures of all the fingerings that might be suggested and things like that. So you just have different approach. As long as there are hearts of passion that you. You are sure that we are going to make sure this will happen, then it will happen as long as God allows us. So yes, we are happy either way. Absolutely. Now, how did you actually record anything during the lockdown? There have been a lot of artists performed in support of the NHS here in the uk. You know, of the key workers that have been out there risking their life to help people, you know, during the pandemic. Did you do anything like that? Absolutely, because I had several recordings from the past, like live concerts or home recording or recordings from recording studios. But I. I was a shy person and I did not release in public ever. I never thought about that. But then this lockdown, during this lockdown time, as you were guessing, I released five albums, about 50 songs inside there also also about other 100, 100 singles, single albums that I released during this lockdown. Wow, super productive. I mean, this is, as in everything, I guess, there is the good side and the bad side. I mean, there is the tragic side of the people, of course, that they lost dear friends or family members to this terrible virus. But there is also the good side of making us appreciate more what's, you know, what we have and the people that we have around and actually when we can see them. And in this case as well, you know, making you less shy and enabling you to actually put out more beautiful music. So congratulations. Thank you so much. Now I would like to ask you actually. So you know this is a competition, right? So it's an award given by the. By the public. It's a title given to the most beloved or most interesting artists that have been lucky enough to meet or interview during this year. How important it is for an instrumentalist or a composer to compete. Let's explain that to the audience. Do you mean. Pardon me, is it important in the sense. Would you like to explain what does it means for you to compete in a competition? You know, to perform against other artists like you normally. Harp competition or piano competition, you know, why do we do that? Right, right. Okay. The main idea of competition, I don't think anybody can be rival against each other. Even the competition itself. The definition sets up that winner is this one. Bronze medalist, gold medalist, silver medalist. But. But I still believe the rival, if I have to use the term black rival, it's myself. It's myself that I practice. Even there are many fall times that I fall off with my technique. Or there's determination, that discipline that you have to overcome yourself. So rivalry. I would take that it's your own, your rival, own, overcome against yourself. But it's a joyful competition to yourself because you only seek for gain after this long time of practice. You present the beautiful music and people love. They cry out of joy and you know, touching their hearts. So it's so meaningful. And I know there are many young, I know there are many youngsters, young students attending the competitions. And I do see the good parts of it is that try to motivate because people, if students, if there are no tests at all, no homeworks, no tests, no grading system, it's very easy to get lazy, right? So Knowing that. Knowing that you set up for some concert program and competition, it definitely gives motivation. Yeah, absolutely. That's exactly it. I mean, what I wanted to shine a light on is the fact that for us to compete, it's not like when you see the Olympic games and the 100 meter, you know, sprint or the higher. This is not being better than someone else. It's just to give out as much as you can yourself as an artist. And then sometimes you are rewarded by being the one who gave the most in that moment. But not necessarily means that you are. Well, depends. I mean, but when you do competition at a certain level, everyone is extraordinary, isn't it? Right. I think I received about, I believe about over 10 or 12 hours in my life as a competition. Competition winner or award winner? Both instrument, both piano and harp. But I myself, first of all always enjoyed playing in a concert setting without competition. You just go, you know, your family, friends and all the audience who love your music came to concert, try to listen. That's so exciting. I'll be more comfortable than competition setting that where I have to go and make. Make my best, give my best. Right. But this is so, this type of award I really love and enjoy because something after I perform giving a great concert, or if I do complete my master's degree, doctorate degree as the best concert presentation and things like that, then they give reward, award. It's very heartwarming feeling. Absolutely, ma'. Am. If you had to choose, I mean, we know very well that competition are part of our career. It's hard to manage to make a career without actually competing and getting awards. But if you could choose, would you prefer not to do it? For example, not to have to compete or you like it? Well, I think I follow my instincts sometimes. Some competitions, if I feel like those repertoires, I want to try learning all the four stages and I want to go for it. And if my other schedule, when I was a student, for example, if my academic schedule allows and the health situation allows, for example, for musicians, not only emotional mental health is important, but also physical health is extremely important. There is certain requirement for being athletic like stamina requires. So if you're healthy enough and you can make it with all other situation, yes, go for it. And again, I am kind of believing this type of thing that says failure, it only brings experience and it will lead you to success, something. So I'm not afraid of trying? Yes. You're not afraid in trying? Absolutely, no. I just had a friend the other day, a performer, professional performer, who posted a picture on the social media saying, you know, that's the moment when I wish I had a normal job right before going on stage. Then you got everything goes away. Did you ever had that feeling what that thought about not doing this job? Well, for me, never. Because I knew music was my destiny. One day actually I was thinking giving, asking myself two questions seriously. Because when I was younger, you know, when you're a child, you just wish you would get age faster. Like when you are 10 years old, oh, I want to be in my 20s quickly, you know. But then as you get older, you realize life is not that long. It's like if you're in your 30s, it feels like life is going in 30 miles. If you're in your 50s, I'm sure they will feel like, oh, it's going 50 miles miles an hour. Right. So I thought I asked myself what can you do to have meaningful life and what's the reason you chose music? And I got the answer that I chose music because I loved it. I'm never going to change that anything related with music. It will be always in my bone and I will live my life for that. But it was so touching knowing that music can be my tool to touch people's hearts. Sometimes there are many people suffering like around this time. They probably lost ones or suffering themselves. But then I cannot embrace like hugging them, give a small hug or take away their tears from them. But I believe somehow I can reach out to them through my music and give them comfort. And when their joyful moment comes, they also can listen beautiful music and feel uplift mood. Right. And other other thing was about how can I have meaningful life. And my answer to myself was that I wanted to have some some of myself remaining in this world After I left this world or after my death from this short life that I want to leave some compositions or recording of my songs or through teaching educating students for next generation to be a better musician. Somehow my art or music will remain this world. And I thought that's very beautiful part of music that can travel between centuries. Regarding. I mean regardless centuries or countries or spaces, wherever you live, music can travel. Absolutely. I mean I'd like to talk more about that, about the meaning of music. Because we talk about these after we listen to another song of yours. That is your performance of the Rhapsody by Marcel Granjani. Sa. Beautiful. And this was Marcel Graniani Rhapsody. So Tirin actually talking. Going back to our discussion on competition and competing. You direct the USA International Music Competition. How is it to be on the other side of the competition you see or to be a judge in a competition. A jury in the competition. What's the difference between competing and then actually the rating competition. I would say rating in the competition felt when I was judging the competition competition. I try to see the best parts of every performer. I absolutely everybody. I mean have different. Different side of decision. For example, some people like clean playing without mistake as less as possible even no one is perfect. Some people try to see interpretation more of how the performer has deeper in depth of knowledge of reading their own interpretation through their music. Or some other judges might be seeking for making pretty pleasant lines constantly with every beautiful phrases and how the flow should go. Right. But I mean of course I had to consider all of these three. But try to see what's the best things in each performer and try to give the best score for those each performer to encourage those and also leave comments for them. Yeah. I mean the comments are so important in a way is a key to understand how to improve and where to go and how to go to the next level. Particularly when you are a young competitor and those are skills that you can then find the everyday life. Isn't it? Right. And if there is actually one other addition is that there is a difference when you are grading students for jury for example for competition type of competition. Because student will have to compete for the award right after jury every semester. You kind of know the students their personalities, how hard they work or you know. You kind of know their backgrounds of academic study journey. But when you go to judge. Right. But when you go to judging an international competition you absolutely. You don't know each other but you communicate. You get to know those performers life through. Behind their music. Through their music. So it's. Which is exciting because you speak performers speak through their music without a single word. Absolutely no single word. But you express who you are, how you have been experiencing in your life. I believe I see that every. Every performer show me that. So there is something like. Which is like singing movie that I did not see the trailer but I'm watching it for the first time shocking. Just come out so. So something different as a judge and as a performer. I mean if I'm a competitor who is participating it's a different setting because I have to regardless. Well, some other performer might be trying to think oh, how can I please. I mean how can I get the best top scores of every part of my technique or artistic. Artistic interpretation and things. But I absolutely try not to think about anything. But okay, I'm going to show who I Am how I lived, how my life has been, what I want to give message to people about life or sadness or happiness, how I overcome my own struggles or all these things I try to wrap together. And in short, timing, because it's a time artist in timing. So I try to represent as much as I can. If they take it and if they see good parts of it, great, I will. If I get blessed, then yes, I will get award. Even if not, I'll be so happy. I had a wonderful opportunity to perform in front of so many wonderful, honorable judges, international judges or national competition judges. I am so thrilled. So that's how I view the point of competition. Absolutely. Now, we were talking before Gran about the meaning of the music. About the fact that, as you just said now, that is bringing you, you know, a sort of silent movie of the emotion and what the performer is thinking when he's performing. There is something that is very dear to me as a musician. And this, the fact that music, even if it was composed 200 years ago, is actually very relevant today. Because I believe the persons, the human being is the same. It was the same, you know, during the ancient Egyptian or the Roman, and is going to be the same in 300 years from now or two, 2,000 years from now. I mean, we all love, we all felt sad or, you know, or were happy. And the music is transmitting feelings of the human being, of the soul that are the same no matter where you come from and no matter where you've lived, isn't it? So I'd like to ask you. I'd like to ask you, for example, this rhapsody that we just heard that is so beautiful by Graniani, what does that give you? What do you like to say about that piece when you perform it? I performed and chose this piece to release as a recording because I remember my teacher from Royal Academy of Music. Her name is Kala Kanga. Yes, she. She was absolutely wonderful teacher who changed my performance, my life. Because there was so much in depth, from very basic to the level that she leaded me. And I. I will always feel, I'll have eternal gratitude towards her always. She loved this piece. And for some reason, whenever she heard me this piece, she showed affection to this piece while I was playing. And she was so happy. So I missed her. I remember her. And so this piece is especially My Heart. Wow. It's a memory of a dear person. That's very special as well. Yeah. So the next piece that we're gonna listen to, it's Piscetti. So Pescetti is an Italian computer composer. Right. And so how. What. What is this piece about? It's a sonata, the second movement from a sonata. But why just the second? Yeah. So why does the second movement. Yes, I love this. This is. This short movement is so beautiful that I cannot describe. But it's something that very easy. Do you remember people saying fewer wars sometimes have more weight? It feels like a composer were trying to. Trying to show so much emotion through very few notes. There are not much technical difficulties, but that vice versa requires a lot of more control and focus to bring through articulation, dynamic contrast and also through phrasing and everything to bring the best of his emotions and contrast with Grand Journey and Salziedo. It was. This Pachetti piece was written for harpscourt, I believe. But then it was. Transcript by Carol Salziedo and Salziedo and Granjoni are one of the two harp method creator and they contrast in their techniques. But I believe every human have different finger size, arm angles and everything. We can adapt their own best methods. So you can actually create your own method in a way to adapt for yourself. And this car Salcedos Transcripted this Jabel. I mean. I mean, Tashetti was really beautiful in that sense. Fiorano. But somehow this movement will touch people's heart. I knew that, so I chose that. All right, so let's. Let's hear Pescetti Sonata in C minor, second movement. Sa. Sa. How beautiful this was Specialty Sonata in C9, second movement. Very beautiful terrain. So full of melancholy as well, and so intense. Just wonderful, really. Thank you for sharing this piece with us today. So we're now in the last part of our interview, and that's the part where we're gonna be, you know, talking about something a little bit lighter. So what would you say is the funniest piece that you ever performed? Something that is giving you, makes you smile or makes you even laugh when you play? If that happened ever. Yes, there are many pieces, but I think for me, composers are wonderful by some reason. Every piece has sad parts and happy parts. Overcoming parts, struggle parts, all the parts. So I would say it's every part of every composition. I feel certain parts that there is so much joy. It's like a spark, like fireworks in my heart. This is so fun part to practice and play. So I experienced that almost every piece, I would say wonderful. So the last piece that we're actually going to listen to is Partita by Bach for solo violin. Transcripted for harp by Marcel Gragliani Again now, something about Bach. I Mean the Partita for Solo Violin as the Partita for Solo Cello as well, the Suite for Solo Cello are some of the most incredible repertoire in those instruments and the history of classical music, really. What do you think about Bach and his music? Well, Bach is simply a father of music, right. And his music is. I think no one can even give any explanation how his music is. We just look up to his music and we just enjoy his legacy that he left in each of every his composition. And I like this piece because it's something beyond musical interpretation. Each note has to produce certain tone, dynamic, contrast and articulation. All these requires quite a bit of stamina. You have to be kind of athletic, right? Oh yeah. Yes. I mean, mental focus is needed above anything, but yes, this piece requires focus in every aspect beyond musical interpretation. So I love listening this piece in the morning sometimes because I feel very fresh. It's like brainwashing fresh. There are pieces like other pieces like, let's say Pachetti. That type of piece is like Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, for example. It has moto puppetto, left hand, I mean right hand motion going. And the specialty is opposite. It's left hand moto popetto, just constantly going, but representing beautiful melody inside, hidden or coming out. But this type of music is something that as you get older every year you kind of see play slightly different with a different interpretation because you have different life experiences and you get mature in other senses. So that type of music, you will be surprised if you record yourself Moonlight Sonata 20 years ago and 30 years later. Right. But this bhagpatita really requires certain freshness that has to stay there eternally, like without changing of age or interpretation. It just spark, just absolute boldness there. Absolutely. I mean, there is. I like the fact that you said that you associate Bach, this Bach in particular, with the morning freshness. I believe there is. Oh, like Beethoven, that is has been renamed the Moonlight Sonata because people feel like its color is the white of the moon at night. That's very special thing. So which color would you say is this piece? Which color would that make you think of? And then I'll give you my color and then we see if the same. Actually now we listen to it and then we decide which color that should be. Shall we? Let's listen to Johan Sebastian Bach. Partita for Solo Violin Number three in E Major, the Prelude transcribed for art by Marcel Crany with Cherry and Kim at the heart. Absolutely wonderful and glorious. So which color is this piece for you? I say this is like absolutely sunshine color. New color with so much white brightness. Like when you look at the sun in this cloud, even sun is hidden in the clouds. Can you see the color? Some might say it's a white color, but it's not even figure. It's just. You can't even see sun through your eyes, it's so bright. I would just say that's the color that I imagine. And see this through this piece. Wow, that's exactly the color I was thinking, you know, the golden sunshine coming through the window after. Absolutely beautiful. You know, in the middle between the dark clouds. Suddenly this is just, you know, illuminating and brighten up the flowers going, you know, blossoming. It's really such a beautiful piece. Definitely one piece to make you smile and to make you happy. Well, Tirin, it's been wonderful to have you today with us and I'm so pleased, you know, congratulation on this other achievement among the many awards that you already received. What's your next project? I remember you are working on this transcription in all the instruments of this kaleidoscope. Am I right? Of your piece for that was in the movie. Have you been. What's your next project? What's gonna be a new recording, maybe a new album coming out soon? Yes, yes, I will keep releasing more songs that I compose and more songs I perform as long as I have strength to play perform the piece. And yes, there are about 80 over 80 songs that I transcript with the different languages of my own composition. And I released them in public too. Hopefully one day a professional singer can recognize the song and have the song so everyone in the world can hear the songs. And my only wish is that people have more love between each other. I know it's very sad time, but sadness does not mean always sadness. As there are rainy days we will face to glorious day like sunny day. So everybody wants to keep keep their hopes in good and positive positivity and knowing that only love can go through all this, help some neighbors who are in need and encourage your friends who are in sadness and uplift their moods and things by doing that. I believe music, classical music especially will play big role of it. So I will continue my destiny and my duty to do that to help others as much as I can. If I can do by my humble music absolutely well. Again, a huge congratulations to Cherryn Kim, winner of the second edition of Future Classic Women Awards in the instrumentalist section. Tune in on Monday, 5th of October at 10am London. Time to discover the winner of the opera section of Future Future Classic Women Awards. If you have Any questions that you would like to ask our guest or nomination for our third edition of Future Classic Women Awards, please email at presentersomensradiostation.com or tweet us at womensradiostn. You've been listening to Future Classic Women Awards on women's radio Station Live every day at 10am and 10pm London time. And if you would like to listen to it again or catch up on our previous programs, please head to my presenter page. Stefania Passamonte Future classic win awards womenradiostation.com thank you for listening.