Is it Recess Yet? Confessions of a Former Child Prodigy

Miki-Sophia Cloud. "Why am I doing this?" On the importance of great mentors and choosing to find joy and purpose in music.

Episode Summary

I'm excited to revisit the very first episode of the "Is it Recess Yet?" podcast, from 2018. My dear friend and colleague, the wonderful violinist and human, Miki-Sophia Cloud, graciously agreed to be my first interviewee. In our chat, we talk about her former life as a strolling ‘gypsy violinist’; playing by ear versus playing from sheet music; her musical studies and mentors at Harvard, Yale, and the New England Conservatory of Music; the importance of finding one's purpose as a musician, beyond the intense competitiveness of classical music and the need for approval or being "special"; and how she answers the question: “why am I doing this?” and what motivates her to make music.

Episode Notes

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Miki is a core member of the Grammy-nominated ensemble, A Far Cry

The Boston Globe profile on Miki's "Little Criers"concerts for families and children. Find "Little Criers" on A Far Cry's Facebook Page.

Miki and I play in the Solera Quartet together: MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE is from Mendelssohn's String Quartet, Op. 80, from the Solera Quartet's debut album, EVERY MOMENT PRESENT.

Robert Levin, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

Ronda Cole, Director of NVSMS , Violin Teacher, Teacher Trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA)

Ricardo Cyncynates, Assistant Concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra

Ani Kavafian, Professor of Violin, Yale School of Music

Miriam Fried, Professor of Violin, New England Conservatory of Music

Donald Weilerstein, Dorothy Richard Starling Chair in Violin Studies, New England Conservatory of Music