A conversation with Erwin Ortner and Golnar Shahyar about artistic beginnings, ambition and learning from mistakes.
I joined conductor Erwin Ortner and musician Golnar Shahyar for a conversation with Miriam Damev in morgen magazine. Published in the issue devoted to Trial and Error, our discussion looks at how we begin as artists, find our own voices and respond when things do not go as planned.
I spoke about growing up in Hungary, where becoming a composer was not a path I was encouraged to take. I wanted to write music for films and the opera house, and to teach composition. The conversation also gave me a chance to talk about something less often discussed: what happens when the ambitions that have driven you for years become part of your everyday life.
The interview, “Scheitern bedeutet Wachstum”, appears in issue 285 of morgen and is available to read in German.