Listeners looking for young talent and fresh sounds to start they New Year off right, should start with the American violinist Hilary Hahn.
From Bach's Concertos to James Newton Howard's film music, Hilary Hahn has mastered a wide breadth of repertoire on the violin. The 28-year-old musician performs with playful energy, deep melancholy or fierce intensity, whatever the occasion demands.
A Wide Audience: From Pope Benedict XVI to Alt Rockers
And distinguished audiences have quickly noticed her dedication to art. Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 80th birthday to the strains of Hahn's violin. Her 2001 recording of Brahms and Stravinsky concertos received a Grammy award. In fact, her reach already goes beyond the concert hall stage: That haunting violin solo in soundtrack of M. Night Shaylaman's The Village is Hahn. She has also collaborated with alt rock band And You Will Know Us By the Trail of the Dead on their 2005 album Worlds Apart.
With 13 albums and 2 DVDs already released, she has performed and recorded with several A-list conductors such as Esso Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Andrew Davies and Hugh Wolff.
Other Artistic Interests: Fan Art, Journals, Mini-Essays and Twitter
Like most musicians of her caliber, Hilary Hahn is a busy woman. If her life isn't consumed with concerts, it's filled with practicing for the next concert. But that doesn't stop her from pursuing other passions in life. Her blog is full of quirky little nooks, such as space to display the Fan Art she receives from audiences at concerts. Children's scrawls or detailed pen-and-inks all find room in Hahn's gallery.
In addition to her skills on the violin, Hahn also exercises another interest in writing. Communicating fairly regularly through journal entries on her website, she updates her fan base on the behind-the-scenes life of a musician, such as the time she nearly fell off the stage at one performance or the stops on a typical grueling travel schedule.
For those anecdotes and introspective opinions that don't quite fit within the newsy journal genre, Hahn has developed her style of "itty-bitty news." These mini-essays or "news clips" humorously explore nerdy ideas such as Arnold Schoenberg sleepovers or the adventures of her short-lived pet guinea pig Pysche.
Interested fans can also follow the travels of her violin case. A faithful companion, the violin case "updates" the world on Hahn's whereabouts via Twitter.
Sources
YouTube video of Hilary Hahn Performing Bach Violin Concertos.
Sarah Canice Funke - Sarah Canice Funke was home-schooled through primary and secondary school in beautiful Colorado. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in ...
