Future Classic Women Awards – Tamsin Waley-Cohen

Hello and welcome to Future Classic Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonti, on Women's Radio Station, the program where we search for the most amazing new female artists on the classical panorama. Today on Future Classic Women Awards, we will be talking to Tamsin Whaley-Cohen, a British violinist known primarily as a concert soloist and recitalist. Hello. Hello. Hello, Tamsin. Tamsin, you studied at the Royal College of Music, right? Yes. With amazing teachers including Raszowsky, Ruggero Ricci, and Andreas Keller. That's right. So at the Royal College, Raszowsky was my teacher. He was my teacher for quite a long time, also in my late teens. And I was very lucky to have amazing contact with Ruggero Ricci, who was a really important person for me sort of through my teenage years. I met him when I was about 15. And of course now he's very sadly died, but I often think of many things he said to me and of his spirit and his love for the music. He was a really great inspiration and someone that really believed in me, which is so important when you're young. Absolutely. So when did you decide to become a classical musician? I don't think I really decided it. I loved playing from when I was a really, really small child. When I was 2, I started asking— I saw someone playing on TV on the Proms. Oh, wow. And I started asking my parents to play the violin. And I remember just as a tiny child loving playing, loving the sound, loving the fun of it. And as I became more serious, I wanted to be the best I could be. And it was always really driven by that, the love for the music and striving to get closer to it and be the best you can. And then I feel like the career really chose me more than I chose it. So it's, you know, it's my life and I love— I really love it. It's challenging, of course, in a lot of ways. It's unusual lifestyle. But it's a great privilege to work every day with these incredible masterpieces. Yeah, absolutely. But what I wonder is, I mean, nowadays the children are more exposed to different types of music, not classical music. So how did you— you said you saw the Proms. That is quite amazing on television. That's something very unique of the UK, really. And it's something that— and then actually, I know a lot of young persons that they study violin in school, for example, and then they get to be part of the orchestra. Like Nicola Benedetti is challenging a lot about, you know, music education in school. Did you get most of it through school or was done independently? And then maybe early on, for example, junior department? To be honest, although my schools were very musical and I was lucky to go to schools which did encourage a lot of music, had a strong tradition of music here in London. All of my lessons were outside of school. All of my formal violin lessons were outside of school. So I was in a very lucky position that my parents could support this and drive me around to the lessons and encourage it from a very young age because it's a huge commitment for the parents as well. So of course it has been and continues to be a huge problem that very often classical music education is really much more open only to kids who go to private schools or from more affluent backgrounds. And I think what Nikki is doing is really fantastic. She's really trying to change this and putting a huge amount of, uh, very intelligent thought and energy into this. Um, with the quartet, with my quartet, the Albion, one of the most rewarding things that we do is to go into schools with a wonderful charity called the Cafetina Trust that takes you into underprivileged areas to play to the children. So you do an hour workshop and you play them real music and you do games and they can ask you questions, you do stories, but they really get a feeling of what a quartet really is, undiluted. And the reaction is always so extraordinary. So, I mean, I really believe that children, they're without any of the conditioning of, "You shouldn't like this," or, you know, "It's uncool," or anything like that. And they react to it in a completely raw way, so emotionally. And that's really very exciting, but for most of them,. It will be the first time they hear any live music, and it may be the only time that they ever hear a quartet. Yeah. So you said you had very interesting, you know, answers from the children. Do you remember any strange question? Oh, well, often there's completely unrelated questions. Oh, really? It's more funny sometimes when you play them something and You say, like, "What did it make you feel?" And then you hear something about something that happened at home, or quite often you hear about lions and giraffes. And once we knew that we hadn't got it right when we played something and the child said, "I felt like I was stuck under a train." And we thought, "Oh no, that's not what you're supposed to be feeling like." But it also— they let you know when you really do get it right and they get it absolutely spot on. And that's so lovely. You know, you've really communicated. What you mean to. There's no audience like a children's audience, they're very tough. Have you ever played something from your latest album to them? You know what, I haven't actually, not from the latest album. Often there aren't pianos in these schools. Ah, right. And so that's why it's very good to go. But if you had to choose something, what would you like to play? So there's so many different things that you could choose to play to them, but one composer that I think is really wonderful for children is Janáček, so full of incredible imagination, fairy stories, and it's really like the spoken words. So the Janáček Sonata is one of my favourite works. It's got very dramatic moments, very, very lyrical, heartbreaking moments I would love to share with them. So shall we listen to it? And this was Janáček ballad from the second movement, Sonata 1914, released by Signum Classic and played by Willy Cohen. We will be back after a short break. WRS, women's radio station, voice of women worldwide. Sarah's Universal Soul Show. What does your soul or spirituality mean to you? Welcome to Future Classical Woman Awards. With me, Stefania Passamonte, on Woman's Radio Station. Welcome back, I'm Russ Kane. You're listening to In Conversation With on Woman's Radio Station. I'm Angie. And I'm Patsy. And we're open. To see what other programs we have on Woman's Radio Station, head to our website, womansradiostation.com. Mirai B Limited. We are a virtual PA consultancy. We provide remote administrative services. Our offering is diverse. We manage your calendar, we update your client database, we take care of your property in France and in London. 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Welcome back to Future Classic Women Awards on Women's Radio Station, the program where we search for the most amazing new female artists on the classical panorama. Today we're talking to Tamsin Whelley-Cohen, an exceptional young British violinist. Now, Tamsin, you were born in London. You're one of the rare Londoners. Real Londoners. How was it to be a violinist in London? Well, that's all I know, so it's hard for me to compare. It's very hard for me to compare. London is, as you know, an incredibly culturally rich city. Everyone comes here. There's so many orchestras, concert halls, there's theaters, galleries. Every night there's world-class performances going on, so many of them. So it's very, very inspiring. It's also challenging because everyone is here. Um, so, you know, you really need to, I think, work hard to define yourself from the crowd. But I don't know what will happen now with Brexit, but certainly growing up, it was an incredible experience to have the privilege of being in London. Yeah, growing up, learning, going to listen to concerts. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Now, um, there is a very funny phrase in your CV. Yeah, well, you You say that you enjoy an adventurous and varied career. What does it mean, adventures? What do you mean? I mean, I like to be out of my comfort zone. Okay. Yeah. So adventures in musical terms, not— Musical adventures. I mean, sometimes other— I'm sure, as you know, when you're traveling around a lot, there's a lot of other adventures that happen. They're not always the ones you were planning on. No, I mean, I mean in musical terms, that I love to always find something that I feel like I don't know if I can really do it and to really explore, whether it's a new medium, a new way of playing, a new skill, go into another world. I think that, that is what really inspires me, and that's also how I feel I keep improving and learning all the time. So I know you spoke to my sister. Yes, that was a big challenge. That was a big adventure, recording the sixth violin. Parts, um, or doing cross-arts work, whether it's with theater or with art galleries. So what would you say was your most adventurous project lately? Well, there's been a couple lately, um, but I would say one, one in particular was a concerto disc I did with the BBC Symphony and Andrew Litton of American concerti, um, the Roy Harris which hadn't been played since its premiere, and the John Adams, which is, I think, a great modern classic. But unlike any other violin concerto I'd ever played, he writes that the violin is like the consciousness going through the orchestra, which is like the body with all the sort of veins and the blood going on. So it's a very unusual approach, but it's incredibly exciting. It's like It's sort of like playing rock and roll music or something. Oh, really? Yeah, it was really fun to do it. Oh, I'd really want to listen to it. Which movement would you like to listen to? Perhaps we could listen to the last movement. The last movement. All right, so let's listen to John Adams' Toccata, Third Movement from the Violin Concerto by Tamsin, performed by Tamsin on violin and the BBC Radio Orchestra. And this was John Adams' Toccata, Third Movement, Violin Concerto. Tamsin, so John Adams is an American composer. Have you been in America before? I have, many times, in fact. My mother is from New York. Oh, right. Yeah, so I have family all over the States. And actually, that's a lot of the reason for my interest in American music, a way to really get under the skin of American culture a lot more. And I'm really thrilled that I'll be making my New York debut at the beautiful Frick Concert Series this spring with Hugh Watkins. Ah, fantastic. Yeah. What are you going to play? We're playing a really special program, actually, including a piece by Hugh and also Olli Nassen's piece that he wrote for us, Reflection. It also will include Debussy, Elgar, Beethoven, Welcome to Women's Radio Station, the voice of women worldwide. Hungry? An average woman eats about 2 to 3 kilos of lipstick in her lifetime. Women's Radio Station, we want to hear from you. This is Women's Radio Station, you're listening to Avril Price with Kitchen Sink Spirituality. It's Anna Kennedy talking all things autism, and my guest today is Karen Nunn. I listen to Women's Radio Women, the possibilities are endless. That's what makes us different. I'm Isabelle Manivy, an executive coach. Do you want to change a negative into a positive? We can do this by coaching you to rewire your brain using simple visualization techniques. In 20 years of practice, I've seen this transform lives. For more information, look on Women's Radio website. Call me on 07984 422 171. 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Our guest today is Tamsin Whaley-Cohen, a young violinist with already 9 albums released and an impressive concert career. 9 songs! I didn't know it was so many. And actually, I think I didn't include maybe the the latest concerto that you said was— Yeah, that's a really— it was a really interesting project. Richard Blackford was commissioned by the Czech Philharmonic to write a concerto for me, and he chose the subject of Niobe, the Greek myth. So it's very much about a strong woman who is punished far beyond what might seem reasonable for her transgression. And it's like a dramatic tone poem with the violin playing the part of Niobe and then other instruments the orchestra take on different parts, like different gods and goddesses that feature in the story. But it's, um, that was a really extraordinary piece. Wow, that really caught my curiosity. Shall we listen to a bit of it? Absolutely. So this is a part from the very beginning of the concerto. The story is that Niobe, she has 14 children, 7 sons and 7 daughters, and And at a party, she shows off in front of the goddess Leto, who's the goddess of fertility, but only has 2 children. And she shows off about her very sensual relationship with her husband and the fact she has so many children. And Leto gets very angry, and she kills all of the children, all 14. And her husband— Niobe's husband is so heartbroken that he dies. He kills himself. And Niobe is punished. In addition to all of this, she's turned into a stone that will weep forever. So it's a very, very tragic story. But here at the beginning, this is the sensuality of Nobi. Wonderful. Then let's listen to it. And this was "Nairobi" by Richard Blackford with the Czech Philharmonic and Tamsin at the violin. Tamsin, what does it mean to be a classical musician today? Wow, that's a very big question. I think in a way I resent a bit being— that the classical music world is separated from the other music worlds because actually We're all really doing the same thing. I mean, why do we listen to music? Why do we read books? Why do we look at art or do engage with any kind of culture? I think it's to learn more about ourselves, to understand more about ourselves, and to be moved, to experience beauty, which is so important to humans, I think. And Of course, we share so much music with the folk tradition, with improvisation, with world music now. But more and more classical musicians, I think we really have a social responsibility, as we talked about before, Nicky's work, to do a lot of social outreach and really bring the amazing gift that we have, that we work with great masterpieces every day, out into the to people that might not experience those feelings or that kind of beauty as much as we do because they are not exposed to it, not because they don't have the ability or because they don't want to. So what would you think about classical music today then? Like the fact that, you know, compared to popular music or to crossover classical, for example, Well, I actually don't feel worried about classical music audiences because if you think how many hundreds of concerts, even quite small concerts, are going on every night, and people crave more and more, I think, the live experience. And most concerts are pretty full. And I also think it's a fundamental human need to have music. In terms of the way it's treated by marketing or by media as something that's very, very niche and has been given this label of elitist, I think that's a great shame, and it is really not necessary. As I was saying earlier, every small child who's never heard any classical music before responds with incredible enthusiasm and emotion. So, um, I really think that actually streaming and the sort of egalitarian effect that the internet has had on classical music is very, very positive because anyone can access it. The streaming of live concerts, I think, is fantastic, fantastic thing. Of course, it doesn't replace being there. Yeah. But I feel very hopeful about the future of classical music. And I also think that more and more young musicians are getting away from the stuffy concert halls. We don't feel like we have to wear the formal dress anymore. We're not afraid to talk to the audience. I think that's all very important as well. Yes, I agree with you. So what would you say to an aspiring young student or an aspiring self, yourself, if you could go back in time? What would I say? I think the most important thing is to have integrity, to be true to yourself, not to worry about what everyone else is doing. Of course, to learn from everyone, but not to feel that you have to do what they're doing, but to find your own way. Everything we need to know as musicians is in the score. So our job is to bring the composer's wishes into the world and to share them with our audiences. So always have this in the front of the mind. So if you had to choose a piece to inspire a younger child to go into classical music, or someone that is not that never heard classical music, what would you choose? I loved salon pieces when I was younger, and this piece that we're going to hear now seems like a salon piece, but it's something a lot more— the Waltz from Sibelius' Five Pieces. Okay, then let's listen to it. WRS, Women's Radio Station. 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Our services include community mediation for neighbour disputes, family mediation for separating couples, special education needs for parents, carers, and their children and young adults, as well as workplace mediation and restorative services. To find out more, Head to womensradiostation.com or thea project.co.uk. Women's Radio Station is a not-for-profit community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help. Welcome back to Future Classic Women Awards on Women's Radio Station. Our guest today is Tamsin Welly-Cohen, a wonderful young violinist from London. Tamsin, now it's time for the odd questions. Great. So what's your strangest hobby to free your mind? My strangest hobby? Yeah, or relax, you know, to free your mind. I'm not sure I do anything that strange, unfortunately. Um, to be honest, when I'm at home, it's such a treat just to have a few days. I just love to see my friends, my family. I love to cook, uh, you know, go out for walks. It's nothing very extraordinary, I'm afraid. It doesn't have to be. It doesn't have to be. I think musician's life Life is so upside down a lot of the time that actually the normality is— is a treat. We really crave it. Yeah, it's a treat for us. So what would you say is the pros and cons of our career? I mean, the pros are so huge for me because we are playing some of the greatest music ever written every day, studying it, sharing it with the audiences. We're being touched by it. I think the fact that we're learning every day is a huge privilege as well. For me, the cons, definitely travel. Yeah. I like seeing different places. I like meeting different people. But the amount of time you spend in airports and train stations, that's not— it's not a good use of time, really. And that's it, really. And also, I mean, when you're traveling for concerts, you have to rehearse, you have the stress of going on stage, so you don't really have— It's not like going on holiday. You're working. You're working really hard. Yeah. Yeah. Do you have any favorite place you've been performing? Any favorite place? Abroad, maybe. I played a couple of times in the Concertgebouw recently, which I loved. I actually once gave a concert in the Bargello Museum in Florence, which was so beautiful. I mean, only a couple of days ago I was playing in Germany in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's one of the great perks of our job is that we get to go into places, but also just walk around them freely, places that are not open to the public. And we play in so many beautiful venues, historical venues, which is really exciting. Yeah, yeah. And do you have any funny, most embarrassing moment, you know? Most embarrassing? Luckily my dress has never fallen down or anything like that. Um, actually, a few weeks ago, my, my shoulder rest just fell off my violin in the middle of the concert and I had to stop, which was really unexpected. All right. Um, but I mean, that's one of the things I love about live performance, is that anything can happen. Yeah, you're just creating it for the moment, just for the people that are there, and it can never be recreated. Yeah. So anything that's not perfect, or, you know, things— string breaking— absolutely, it's, it's all part of the experience. And I think there's too stress on perfectionism, but it's much more about living in the moment. And I think the audience is really going to live concerts for that reason. They don't want to hear a perfect CD. They want to hear— They want to feel something. They want to feel something. Yeah, I agree. And what would you say— Do you have any superstition or ritual before going on stage? No, I don't. I used to have some things like I always had to eat a banana, I had to do a particular type of practice that morning. And now basically I realize that all of these things are completely unrealistic, and also that you just never know what kind of situation you're going to be in. So the most important thing is to prepare mentally, to visualize, to think what you really want from every note, to be psychologically in a good state to share with the audience, to give yourself and so that you can create something in that moment. And what would you say— last one— the most challenging moment, if you had any, in your career? I think I've had lots of challenging moments. I've had moments when I felt very down about my playing, or moments when I felt very frustrated. In a way, getting through them is one of the most encouraging things because, you know, you can come out the other side and grow and learn from them. In terms of challenges, of things that I actually did which were challenging, actually working with my sister. She wrote a piece, apart from the piece which was played on your program, another piece which Aldeburgh commissioned for one live violin and 5 pre-recorded parts, and there was no time to rehearse it. Then because of the sound delay, It was a really unique experience, but I was so proud that I did it. I did it for her, the premiere. So it was great. That's amazing. So what would be your next project or concert? My next recording project is the complete works of CPE Bach for keyboard and violin with James Baylyou. So we start recording that next week, actually. And then the next concerts are with my quartet, the Albion Quartet. Again, a great challenge for someone that was mainly a soloist to learn how to play in quartet because it is such a different skill and we're demanding so much of each other every day. So I learned so much from that. It's a privilege to work with my colleagues. So we have some concerts coming up. Wonderful. And now, what would you like to listen before closing our show? One of my favourite violin sonatas since I was a child was the Debussy Sonata and actually this was written in the same year as the Sibelius, in 1917, but it's something very different. It's the last complete piece he ever wrote, of course, right in the middle of the war, and yet I think it ends with great sort of ecstatic hope. This is with my longtime duo partner Hugh Watkins. Wonderful, so let's listen to the Debussy finale from the third movement of the violin sonata. Nata. And this was the B.C. finale, third movement of the violin sonata performed by Tamsin Whaley-Cohen and their pianist Hugh Watkins. If you have any questions that you would like to ask to our guests or nominations for our future Classic Women Awards, please email presenter@womensradiostations.com or tweet us at Radio STN for a chance to win 2 tickets at our concert of the finalists of the Future Classic Women Awards. A big thanks to our guest Tamsin Whaley-Cohen for the great chat and the beautiful music played today. Great pleasure. And you've been listening to Future Classic Women Awards on Waynet Radio stations, live every day at 10 AM and 10 PM London time. If you want to listen to it again or catch up on all the previous program, you can head to the presenter page, Stefania Passamonte, Future Classical Women Awards, on womensradio.com. Thank you for listening. This is Amy Liu, voice of China at Women's Radio Station. Welcome to Future Classical Women Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte, on Women's Radio Station. After a long day, I like to sit in my bath with a glass of wine and listen to women's radio. 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To find out more, head to womensradiostation.com or thea-project.co.uk. Mirai B Limited— we are a virtual PA consultancy. We provide remote administrative services. Our offering is diverse. We manage your calendar, we update your client database. We take care of your property in France and in London. We also offer bookkeeping and translation services. Would you like to know more? Please call 077 868 48 998 for further information. Mireille B Limited, making the life of the business owner successful. I'm Isabelle Manivy, an executive coach. Do you want to change a negative into a positive? We can do this by coaching you to rewire your brain using simple visualization techniques. In 20 years of practice, I've seen this transform lives. For more information, look on Women's Radio website. Call me on 07984 422 171. I'm listening. Women's Radio Station will give a voice to your brand. For more information, visit womensradiostation.com. Women's Radio Station is a not-for-profit community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help.