Interview with violinist Anna Elashvili

Anna Elashvili is a great violinist that lives in New York and recently joined the Bryant Park Quartet as the first violinist.

When did you start playing the violin and why?

Anna: I started when I was three years old. I actually went to a concert of the Baltimore symphony and the violinist Itzhak Perlman was playing solo. After the concert my sister and I both declared that we wanted to play the violin. I was two at the time so I was too young to start but my mom made me a cardboard violin, it was pink and red and I played with it until they got me a real violin for my third birthday

What did you end up doing with the cardboard violin?

Anna: I kept it for a long time but eventually I got rid of it, I still remember exactly what it looked like. I also remember my mom sitting on the porch and making it for me.

So how was it at the beginning?

Anna: I really loved it, I guess I had a stage personality. Something about playing for public inspires me.

Do you get nervous when you perform today?

Anna: Of course, sometimes more and sometimes less. I usually get more nervous for house concerts than for anything else. But it’s always worth the nerves.

What are your career goals?

Anna: Now that I’m a member f the Bryant Park Quartet I hope that this will fill the majority of my performance. I see myself as a chamber musician!

How do you promote yourself?

Anna: As a quartet a lot of our promotion is through contacts that are already established. For myself I have a website and I try to play for a lot of people. I don’t feel that I do PR staff, I think I should do more of it. I always felt that I present myself better when I’m part of something I really believe in, like the quartet.

Do you use social networks to promote yourself?

Anna: I use them a little bit. I don’t like to spend a lot of time on the Internet. I prefer face to face contact. I have a profile on Myspace but I don’t really use it anymore.

Why?

Anna: I don’t talk the Internet talk. I also prefer Facebook to Myspace. In Myspace you get a lot of junk. Facebook is a more connected system. It somehow seems different to me. Facebook helps me to reconnect with old friends. I usually don’t look at Facebook invites. I prefer email or phone invitation. I’m lazy about the Internet.

Do you notice other musicians’ promotion online?

Anna: Yes, some people , especially the independent rock groups do a lot of promotion online and it really works for them. The classical world still functions more by word of mouth and reputation. It’s really a different energy.

Do yo think it’s good that classical music is behind?

Anna: It’s probably not good, but it’s a package deal. For example Le Poisson Rouge, a venue space down town, almost always packs the space. They combine new classical music with independent Rock. It’s packed because it’s hip and experimental. SO I think it's very important to remember that your venue and its presentation should connect to how you promote yourself especially online.