BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Welcome to Con Fuoco – CutCommon’s interview series with emerging musicians across Australia.
Perth violinist Julia Nicholls is in her third year of Music Studies and Specialist Music Studies as part of a Bachelor of Philosophy at the University of Western Australia. Last year, she completed a summer course at the University of California, Los Angeles in electronic music. Julia has been a member of the Western Australian Youth Orchestra since 2010, and has participated in annual Australian Youth Orchestra programs since 2009. She recently led WAYO in the opening event of the 2016 Perth International Arts Festival conducted by Iain Grandage, as well as in concert under the baton of guest conductor Tze Law Chan, and led the Fremantle Chamber Orchestra in concert last December. You can see her perform as concertmaster of WAYO on September 24 in the Perth Concert Hall.
Your all time favourite piece of music?
Oh, wow. Sticking to classical music, I don’t think I’ve ever had a singular favourite. If I did, it’d definitely be something I’ve played or sang in an ensemble. I usually don’t listen to much classical music in my free time, so the pieces that stick with me are the ones that have good memories attached to them. Like Saint-Saëns’ Organ Symphony, or Tchaikovsky’s fourth and sixth symphonies. There’s a whole bunch.
Most memorable concert experience?
Performing in WAYO for the opening concert of the 2016 Perth International Arts Festival. It was the most incredible privilege to be able to perform with some amazing Western Australian musicians like Tim Minchin, and John Butler and celebrate my home state in such a moving way with so many people. It was a huge, complex event and everyone involved worked so hard to make it a fantastic and inspiring experience.
Biggest fear when performing?
Being in the moment and enjoying the performance is really important to me, so I worry that I’ll be too distracted by mistakes or stressed out about getting the notes right to be able to make the most of the time on stage.
Best piece of musical advice you’ve received?
AYO National Music Camp in 2013, the motto of the Bishop Orchestra: ‘Keep calm and subdivide’.
How do you psych yourself up for practice on a lazy day?
I set a timer on my phone for 10 minutes and concentrate on playing a very small section of the piece I’m working on at a really slow tempo. I practice it over and over again, focusing on all the different details, and if it’s at a standard I’m happy with when the timer goes off, I go onto the next section and set another 10-minute timer. I take breaks when I need to, which helps make sure I don’t lose focus when I’m in those little 10-minute blocks.
Most embarrassing moment on stage or in rehearsal?
Far too many to choose! Luckily, I’ve had countless little embarrassing moments – more so than a few big memorable ones, and so far they’re pretty easy to laugh about when looking back on them.
Favourite post-gig activity?
Going to get an ice cream with my family or friends, chatting a little bit with them about how the concert went, and then heading home to get some rest. Concerts are exhilarating and kind of exhausting, so it’s nice to be able to chill out on my own after such a huge team effort.
What are you most proud of in your musical career so far?
When I first joined WAYO in 2010, I sat at the very back of the first violins and barely talked to anyone because I felt so shy and awkward amongst the talented older students. One of the concerts we did that year included Tchaikovsky’s 4th, which quickly became one of my favourite symphonies and remains so today. This year, I played it again in WAYO’s first concert of 2016, sitting in front desk next to the concertmaster. It meant so much to me to be able to revisit one of the first symphonies I ever played, and as the performance ended it suddenly hit home how far I’ve come as an orchestral musician since that concert six years ago. For me, performing in ensembles is all about feeling proud of my friends in other sections and their cool interweaving parts and solos, but I think this was the concert where more than anything else I felt proud of myself.
What do you love most about making music?
I love how multiple parts can create something beautiful when working together. The small yet powerful sound created by a string quartet, a chord ringing in a barbershop chorus, a passage in an orchestral work with intricate overlapping rhythms and harmonies; you can’t create those things on your own. Orchestras are the coolest thing in the world to me, because while every instrument’s techniques and learning curves are so different and they each have such unique solo repertoire, composers can create something on a whole other level of greatness when they combine them en masse.
What’s your ultimate goal?
Mine’s a pretty general one that’s hopefully easy to achieve: it is to be discovering new music and new ways to appreciate music, making music with people I care about, inspiring others to find their own passion for music, writing songs and learning more about music, all the time, for the rest of my life.
Image supplied. Credit: Matthew Galligan.
