My goal as an artist has always been to simply share my passion with audiences across the globe. What are your hopes for your musical career? I believe many potential classical music lovers are fearful of the “high-class” setting that classical music is usually perceived in, therefore playing predominantly in informal settings such as malls, libraries, and schools helped to reach a more diverse audience, as well as spark an interest for classical music in those who would have otherwise avoided the genre. I really enjoyed changing the narrative about what the public would expect from a string quartet, both in the setting in which we would perform and the actual music we presented. This quartet experience, which took up most of my childhood, influenced me in a number of ways as I was not only taught firsthand the value of informally sharing music with a variety of audiences, but I also got a glimpse of the joy that surrounds a musician’s livelihood. Hearing all the audience’s comments on how moving or inspiring the music was always made the multitude of hours’ worth of practicing worth it. Before I was even old enough to know it, one of my main focuses being an artist was to just play music so that the public could enjoy it, whether it was the background music for a few hours, special music requests for weddings, or soloist concerts. Some of my very first performances were pop-up public concerts at libraries and malls with my family string quartet when I was 5 years old. What does music mean to you? How has being a musician impacted your life? His talent and skill have guided him to an incredible career as a classical musician, but with that comes a lot of pressure.Įlliott recently spoke with ENSPIRE about music, his career, and burnout. But this is not even close to the first award he’s received–in fact, he began winning competitions at the tender age of seven!Īs a Black musician in a predominately white field, Elliott is carving out space not only for himself but for the young Black musicians he inspires every day. As recently as 2019, he became the youngest ever finalist for the very prestigious Annual Sphinx Competition, which was accompanied by equally prestigious performance opportunities and a neat $50,000. He has been the recipient of dozens of awards, scholarships, and grants. ( ENSPIRE Entertainment ) Sterling Elliott is Making Space for Himself and Other Black Musicians in the Prestigious Field of Classical Music ENSPIRE Contributor: Natalie DeanĬhild musical prodigy Sterling Elliott began playing the cello at only three years old, and now, a twenty-year-old student musician, his future as a classical musician is looking brighter than ever.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |