What Makes A Concert Pianist - Love And Passion That Fuel Everything

What makes a concert pianist ?

1. Talent 10% consists of:

~ a keen ear for music

~ strong finger dexterity

~ a good sense of rhythm

~ an innate understanding of musical expression

2. The other 90% consists of:

~ exceptional love of music and passion for expressing ourselves though music and piano

~ commitment (body, heart and soul) to playing piano as our No. 1 priority (which happens naturally if one has the love and the passion as stated previously)

~ patience (as it takes many years of training, practising and hard work to become one)

~ discipline (being able to practise every day for many hours, no matter what)

~ practice / hard work (directly related to the previous point)

~ creativity and curiosity (ability and willingness to experiment, explore and develop a multiple perspectives mindset)

~ continuous stretching our limits and challenging existing concepts in order to develop our own unique expression and performing style

~ learning throughout our entire lives (through masterclasses, workshops, collaboration with other pianists and musicians, new music pieces etc.)

~ adaptability (to each new piano, concert hall, acoustics, directors, orchestras, other musicians we collaborate with ...)

~ cultivation of one's character and personality (as who we are reflects in our music making)

As you can see, talent is just a mere base one starts from. It doesn't mean much if the other qualities are not being systematically developed throughout our whole lives. Talent alone will never make a concert pianist ! And unlike with many other professions our education does not end with graduating from a university. In fact, it just starts there .... Every concert, every recital, every masterclass or workshop, every collaboration with other musicians is a new learning curve where we grow as pianists and artists. We should of course, not forget continuous learning of new music pieces and broadening our active repertoire, something we do throughout our entire career that can stretch into our very old age. We never stop learning ..... Even when we teach others, we learn .........

But all that would not be possible to achieve without the exceptional love of music and the passion for expressing ourselves through music I mentioned earlier. That love, and that passion fuel everything !

"Piano performance and interpretation is not the work of days or months, it is the product of a lifetime work and cultivation, and a reflection of who a pianist is as a person."

 ~ Xenia E. Zilli