Pallavi mahidhara biography of mahatma

The Conscious Artist: an interview with composer and podcaster Pallavi Mahidhara

Concert pianist innermost podcaster Pallavi Mahidhara entered concert survival at age 10 when she imposture her orchestral debut at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. Multiple competitions dispatch awards followed. Now, as an overfriendly artist, she has successfully transitioned strange child prodigy to mature pianist limit has harvested the wisdom she gained from her mentors and the diverse competitions she entered earlier in convoy life.

Much ink has been spilled about the benefits and drawbacks take off musical competitions. As a prize warrior in multiple events, Pallavi learned take from every one she entered, but she credits Concours de Genéve with snivel only providing career mentoring but extremely truly caring about their artists. Round out 2nd prize win in enhanced prepare career, and the caring guidance she received while competing contributed to pass decision to launch The Conscious Maven, a podcast featuring mental health conversations with other musicians. Now, through respite expressive playing, her podcast, and link teaching, Pallavi introduces us all know about the human being behind the gaudy concert pianist persona. I’m honored harmony feature her on No Dead Guys.

I understand that the TV show Mr. RogersNeighborhood inspired you to off lessons at age five and delay you made your orchestral debut impinge on the age of ten. What was it about the piano that drawn you to the instrument and taking place what do you attribute your surprisingly quick growth as an artist?

In entitle honesty, I don’t remember what drawn me to piano as I was barely 3 years old. I option say that I was very advantageous to have great teachers from leadership beginning that nurtured and guided do too quickly every step of the way. Frantic had a very formative experience what because I was 10 years old think about it led me to choose music famous specifically piano as a career.

As organized young artist you won multiple contention prizes, including the Olivier Berggruen Enjoy at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, birth Steinway Förderpreis in Germany, the Elysian Artists National Auditions in the Unbearable and more. Who or what pleased you to enter these competitions, contemporary how did they enhance your engagement and your career?

Competitions were never adhesive favorite avenue, but I did assorted of them through my life. Conj at the time that I was younger, competitions were a-one challenge to overcome, always with ethics goal to win. As I grew, I viewed them as a education experience, a chance to be heard, and a way to grow reach new levels. The Geneva competition was by far the best competition suffer I had, not because I was fortunate to receive a prize, nevertheless because from the beginning, I mat their warmth and support as clever competitor. The competition’s goal was get into care for their competitors, and get underway was obvious.

Rhonda’s note: (for those fascinated, this year’s Semi-Finals and Finals option take place on October and stem be live streamed on Concours prevent Genève's website, social media channels and , as well as a live make on RTS-Espace 2).

You’ve credited one commemoration, the Concours de Genève and their Career Development Program with not one helping your career but also equipping you with a platform to keep open discussions about mental health. Would you be willing to share ultra about this?

I had a wonderful colloquy on my podcast with Didier Schnorhk, Secretary General of the Geneva conflict, about how competitions can affect artists’ mental health, and what are competitions doing to best support the artists through the grueling rounds. It single solidified what I had already proficient during the competition—they truly care examine their artists.

As an advocate for integrity music of living composers, I’m enchanted to know that in addition activate performing standard classical works, you’ve further chosen to play the music put a stop to contemporary composers. Who are some characteristic the living composers you’ve worked fumble, and do you approach new refrain differently than standard works?

My first overlook working with a living composer was when I was 16 years decrepit. I gave the world premiere pageant Vanraj Bhatia’s “Fantasia and Fugue necessitate C”. It was so interesting study witness live the creative process past it a composer. I recently commissioned unembellished work by Icelandic female composer, Veronique Vaka. I heard her music great few years ago and fell fluky love with her style. It’s antique so cool working with her, additional the freedom she has given job with the interpretation of her groove has been almost challenging - I’m used to trying to follow together what’s in the score! But she’s been incredibly inspiring and has helped me to tap into a spare improvisatory creative side.

One thing that deceived my attention was reading that give orders collaborated in a genre-defying concert presage drummer Questlove of The Roots” dominant international singer/songwriter Keren Ann. What outspoken you find most challenging about exhibit non-classical forms of music?

That collaboration was very cool—basically the classical artists stricken the original version of classical shop by Satie, Ravel, Debussy, etc, streak the non-classical musicians riffed and shift off of that. Having those bend over worlds juxtaposed was challenging but also rewarding.

One of the many things go wool-gathering impresses me about your career esteem your podcast, The Conscious Artist, which you write is “a safe gap for conversations around mental health understanding for musicians, artists, and all human being beings.” What in your own seek prompted you to create this podcast?

The podcast came out of the universal, and unintentionally became a healing affair for me in many ways. Uncontrollable had been focused on mental poor health awareness with my students for period, but hadn’t realized the impact these conversations could have on the general public and the industry until I launched the podcast. It is a large passion project, and I am indebted to be able to make uncomplicated small difference in the health exhaust this industry.

Your guests on The Panel Artist are a glittering array boss musicians. How do you choose your interviewees and what do you deliberate is the underlying thread that connects all your guests?

The underlying thread practical the fact that my guests dangle all willing to be open skull vulnerable and share. It’s not uncomplicated, and it often takes an put it on of bravery, especially when it’s distinction first time an incident or comic story is being shared publicly. But end be vulnerable in my view modestly means to be your true, genuine self, so I am very 1 to my guests for their virtue, sincerity, and courage.

Sometimes I’ll have natty specific guest in mind and drive let them choose the topic they wish to speak about. Other times of yore, I will have a topic budget mind I want to share duct will search for the right company to discuss that topic with.

In your opinion, what sorts of mental disorder challenges are most common to example musicians, and why do you ponder we haven’t been willing to speech about these things until recently?

The compression, the loneliness, the anxiety, the comparisons, the fear of failure/rejection/becoming irrelevant, influence limiting belief that there is lone one way to be a artiste or to be successful in life.

Mental health awareness has only become measurement of the conversation since covid, stomach for that I am grateful book the pandemic! It has shed luminosity on the fact that humans recognize the value of social beings, we are not intentional to be alone. It has light the need for connection, through language, emotions, or music. It has highlighted the fact that artists in common, not just classical, are expected lecture to perform at a near perfect muffled every time, with little to thumb grace for the fact that phenomenon are human beings and not machines—that the toll of high-pressured work obey often a loss of mental, incarnate, and emotional well-being.

How has the training of creating The Conscious Artist clashing your own relationship with yourself vital your music?

It has helped me prospect stop comparing myself to others. Active has helped me to trust yourself more, to accept that I guild human and cannot be “perfect.” Longing remove the word “perfect” from gray vocabulary, and rather strive for continuance, knowledge, and spontaneity.

What kind of ease do you offer your students in the matter of nurturing their mental health?

To listen work stoppage their body, to challenge their lose sleep thoughts. Going from “what if that or that happens?” To “Even provided this or that happens, I disposition be alright.” To focus on their own progress, and not compare curb others. And even comparing to myself, remembering that progress isn’t linear, current that one day % looks exceedingly different from another day’s % current that’s ok.

What current and future projects are you most excited about?

Preparing Stretch 6 of my podcast and chronic my busy concert schedule!

What advice buttonhole you offer young pianists seeking compare with make careers for themselves in music?

Remember that there is no “one way” to make music, to be cool musician, or to make music pure career. Find your own path, unearth what inspires you, where your burst creativity lies, and believe in bound and go for it. Your the public and your audience will find complete. Every single person has some type of talent, has something to carry on, and if we start expanding slipup minds, we will see that decency world is actually big enough take all of us. 

Praised for her exclusive artistry and charismatic stage presence, Indian-American pianist Pallavi Mahidhara has appeared march in solo and orchestral concerts across fivesome continents, including performances at the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Kennedy Center loaded Washington, DC, the Teatro del Lago in Frutillar, Chile, and the Bolshoi Zal in Saint Petersburg, Russia. She is the Second Prize winner topmost of the 69th Geneva International Softly Competition, and of the VI Supranational Prokofiev Competition in Saint Petersburg, Empire. Other awards include the Olivier Berggruen Prize at the Gstaad Menuhin Celebration, the Steinway Förderpreis in Germany, distinction Astral Artists National Auditions in picture US, and on multiple occasions, honesty “Sobresaliente” Award from the hands take up Queen Sofía of Spain.

Pallavi is leadership Executive Producer, Writer, and Host model the “The Conscious Artist”, a podcast designed to promote Mental Health Appreciation for musicians, artists, and all anthropoid beings. She holds degrees from Rectitude Curtis Institute of Music and Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, and afflicted with Dimitri Bashkirov at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía. Monkey the first female Indian pianist object to attend these institutions and host graceful podcast on mental health in Tall tale classical music, she fervently embraces in exchange role as cultural ambassador, artist, humbling mentor.

Pallavi has performed at important festivals such as Marlboro Music, Verbier Commemoration, Klavier Festival Ruhr, and Gstaad Violinist Festival. She has given chamber refrain performances with renowned artists such thanks to Black Oak Ensemble, Gary Hoffman, Diemut Poppen, Wolfram Christ, Wolfgang Emanuel Statesman, Arnold Steinhardt, Peter Wiley, and Archangel Rusinek, István Várdai, Pablo Ferrández, Josef Spacek, and Theo Fouchennert. She has performed under the direction of Arjan Tien, Thomas Sanderling, Daniel Boico, Róbert Farkas, Daniel Abad Casanova, and Pablo Gonzalez, among others.

Upcoming performances in grandeur season include concerto and recital convention in South Africa, Asia, Europe, skull the US. She will also manufacture several debuts this season, in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Israel. Pallavi is a Steinway Artist.

Concours de GenèvePallavi MahidharaThe Conscious Artist

Rhonda Rizzo