One of the many enjoyable aspects of my work is getting to interview interesting people. Often these are musicians, and I love asking them how they got interested in music and what inspired them. Recently, a violinist I interviewed told me he saw Itzhak Perlman on Sesame Street, and all these years later he still vividly remembers the excitement and wonder he felt when he saw the legendary musician on the children’s show. I recall that, as a very little girl, I listened over and over (and over) to my parents’ LP of pianist Garrick Ohlsson playing Chopin’s two piano concertos. The American pianist had just won the Chopin International Piano Competition, and I was completely consumed with that music. It sparked something in me, and helped shape the path of my life and career. Decades later, I had the chance to meet Garrick Ohlsson in the green room after an orchestra concert for which he was the soloist, and those memories of listening to his Chopin LP came flooding back to me. It reminded me of how deeply and profoundly inspiring great music can be, and of the many and varied sources of inspiration there are.
What inspired you to love classical music? Whether it was Sesame Street, a family LP, cartoons, or a chance encounter with a radio program as you scanned the dial … how did you start and cultivate your love of music? Please share your story!