As a musician, what is your definition of success?
Professionally, success means having the opportunity to work with musicians, ensembles, stage directors, choreographers, librettists, etc., whose work one considers to be at the highest artistic level. On a more personal level, I always find that success should mean achieving our standards as artists. I mean, to be as close as one can be to finishing a score with the feeling that its quality as a work was accomplished and is quite satisfying. Not getting closer to what I consider to be the desired quality for a musical work, then that is my definition of failure.
What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?
Well, apart from the obvious “work hard” advice, I would add self-criticism, nonconformity, the will to dare and to be curious, this last one including a true curiosity (and also respect) for other musicians’ work.
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