[Maestro Kazem Abdullah]
Violinist.com
February 5, 2011 at 9:00 PM
“What is the single most important factor in your success? This was the kind of question posed on Friday to successful music professionals representing many facets of the industry at a panel discussion called 'Musical Toolbox,' meant to show Sphinx Competition participants what tools they need to be cultivating for a life and career in music. And it went way beyond 'Practice six hours a day.'
“The panelists certainly were the right people to ask: 2008 Sphinx Laureate Danielle Belen; EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts CEO Johann Zeitsman; conductor Kazem Abdullah; composer Roberto Sierra; violinist Sanford Allen, the first Black member of the New York Philharmonic; and violinist Pam Frank, Avery Fischer prize winner, performer and professor of violin at Curtis Institute and Peabody Conservatory.
“How does a person achieve success as a musician? When a performing arts directory such as Musical America contains 50 performing artists' series on a single page, how does one stand out? How does one find a niche in this field? 'I think it's important to evaluate your relationship to music,' said Pam Frank. 'Find your individual voice and be true to it. Do not be influenced by what others tell you to do; do not be entranced by fame.'
"'I think success is also in the eye of the beholder,' added Kazem Abdullah. 'The motivation can't be just financial, it has to be that you love music and you want to share your enthusiasm for it.' You also can't take any opportunities for granted, he said. 'You have to make the most of every opportunity.' 'I love doing what I do; if I don't write for several days, I get nervous,' said Roberto Sierra. His motivation to write doesn't disappear just because there is no project on the table, no commission to fill right now. It is a constant urge to compose.”
