ARTIST INTERVIEW - ADRIAN BLANCO
Our Institute Artists are amazing musicians and we want to share their personal stories, musical insights, and passion for performance with you, so we asked each artist to answer some questions about what it is like to be a performing musician. We hope you enjoy getting to know our 2017 pianist, Adrian Blanco!
Why or when did you start learning music?
When I was 5 my parents wanted me to play a sport after school. I was not the type of kid who likes sports or playing with other kids, and I remember telling my parents I wanted to learn to play the piano instead. I really do not remember why, probably I saw someone playing the piano in a movie or something, but I was simply attracted to it.
What is your favorite piece to learn or perform? Why?
My favorite piece to learn or perform is whatever I am learning or playing at the moment.
What is your most memorable musical experience?
Probably the first time I played in a serious venue. I think I was like 14 or so, and I remember I played Liszt, Chopin, Mozart and Rautavaara. I had never felt that adrenaline before. Right after the last piece I thought to myself “this is what I want to do”.
Who is your biggest musical influence?
I do not think I have any musical influence, but there are some artists that I think have influenced my vision of the piano and the art in general, as; Carles Santos, Dalí, Sokolov and Liberace.
Of the pieces that you are performing here in New Orleans, which is your favorite? Why?
I can not choose!
Have you had a music teacher that inspired you to continue on?
All of them inspired me to continue on, of course. Probably I would say my teacher in Barcelona when I was a teenager; Alba Ventura. She not only inspired me but also guided and helped me open my mind to the music scene. I do not think I had ever contemplated the option of being a professional musician before entering her studio.
What instrument do you play and why do you continue to play it?
I play the piano. I started when I was just 5, so I have grown with it, I have learnt to express myself through it and it would not make any sense to stop playing now; I would feel incomplete. I cannot conceive a day without spending some time pressing the keys.
Is your family musical?
No, they are not. And it took me a while for them to understand what I was doing. Especially since for the last five years all I have been playing has been contemporary music.
Do you get nervous when you perform?
If so, how do you deal with it?
I do. And I like it, it makes it feel more real. I really hope to get nervous before playing for a long time. And I really do not see it as a problem; I see it as normal human behavior. We get nervous before we care, and also, playing music comes from the inside so; who does not get nervous when exposing himself/herself in such a profound way?
What advice would you give to younger performers?
Be passionate and honest.
When I was 5 my parents wanted me to play a sport after school. I was not the type of kid who likes sports or playing with other kids, and I remember telling my parents I wanted to learn to play the piano instead. I really do not remember why, probably I saw someone playing the piano in a movie or something, but I was simply attracted to it.
What is your favorite piece to learn or perform? Why?
My favorite piece to learn or perform is whatever I am learning or playing at the moment.
What is your most memorable musical experience?
Probably the first time I played in a serious venue. I think I was like 14 or so, and I remember I played Liszt, Chopin, Mozart and Rautavaara. I had never felt that adrenaline before. Right after the last piece I thought to myself “this is what I want to do”.
Who is your biggest musical influence?
I do not think I have any musical influence, but there are some artists that I think have influenced my vision of the piano and the art in general, as; Carles Santos, Dalí, Sokolov and Liberace.
Of the pieces that you are performing here in New Orleans, which is your favorite? Why?
I can not choose!
Have you had a music teacher that inspired you to continue on?
All of them inspired me to continue on, of course. Probably I would say my teacher in Barcelona when I was a teenager; Alba Ventura. She not only inspired me but also guided and helped me open my mind to the music scene. I do not think I had ever contemplated the option of being a professional musician before entering her studio.
What instrument do you play and why do you continue to play it?
I play the piano. I started when I was just 5, so I have grown with it, I have learnt to express myself through it and it would not make any sense to stop playing now; I would feel incomplete. I cannot conceive a day without spending some time pressing the keys.
Is your family musical?
No, they are not. And it took me a while for them to understand what I was doing. Especially since for the last five years all I have been playing has been contemporary music.
Do you get nervous when you perform?
If so, how do you deal with it?
I do. And I like it, it makes it feel more real. I really hope to get nervous before playing for a long time. And I really do not see it as a problem; I see it as normal human behavior. We get nervous before we care, and also, playing music comes from the inside so; who does not get nervous when exposing himself/herself in such a profound way?
What advice would you give to younger performers?
Be passionate and honest.
