Roxanna Walitzki: "Τhe world needs more beauty and thought and we can all contribute"
BPP: Who are
you? And who you really are?
Roxanna Walitzki: In the foreground, I am a classically
trained singer primarily focusing on the performance of German art-songs and
contemporary classical music. At my
core, I am a person who can’t help but analyze and read into everything; I’m
fascinated by psychology, hidden intentions and meanings, and I see these
everywhere. I love classical music,
especially art-songs (which express poems through text and music, mostly for
voice and piano), because, in these, there are never-ending possibilities for
interpretation and layers upon layers of meaning. I see the performance of classical music as
an interpretive-creative-art; it requires the performer to re-create what the
composer and poet intended, while simultaneously filling this given-material
with his or her own experiences, values, and notions.
You can watch her singing at the follow link:
"In May, in brilliant Athens" - Senior Recital"
BPP: If you could say something important to others who were listening, what would you tell them?
Roxanna Walitzki: Don’t give up! Being a creative person is always daunting
and difficult, and at times, it will feel pointless and impossible. However, the world needs more beauty and
thought and we can all contribute.
BPP: What is
your true dream, the one that keeps you up at night and if one day it were to
come true you would feel peace and calmness in your heart?
Roxanna Walitzki: Unfortunately (or fortunately…), I
don’t think I will ever feel complete peace and calmness at having completed my
goals because they are constantly evolving and there is always more to be
done!
Right now, my perceived purpose in
life is to make people appreciate the music that I value so deeply, by finding
ways to make the performance of it more engaging. I see myself doing this through video
projects (like Mignon video that I made in 2012 with a group of enormously talented
artists from Seattle’s Studio X-17), innovative performance
ideas (like pairing a classical recital with an art or fashion
show), and by honing my performance skills to best
communicate with the audience the significance of these works. I would love to do a lot more collaborations
with artists from all fields in the future.
Still image
from Roxanna’s Graduate Voice Recital
BPP: How is
life currently for the people in your country and what would you wish for them
and for the planet at large?
Roxanna Walitzki: Times are definitely tough in the U.S.
at present, and I know a lot of people are just trying to survive. I wish that everyone could have the same
ability to do what they love and need to do that I have had.
I wish that those of us that do have
the means and resources to live comfortable lives would collectively do more to
make this a better world. I see that a
lot of time is wasted on momentary enjoyments and meaningless activities; if
all of this were re-channeled into something productive, I imagine we could
make a lot of positive changes.
BPP: If you
had a chance to be a child again would you choose the same life?
Roxanna Walitzki: It’s a little silly, but I used to feel a strong regret that I didn’t get to be a ballerina; dance is something that I have enormous respect and appreciation for – how dancers can express so much wordlessly just by using their bodies is almost like magic. It’s a childhood regret of mine because you can’t really decide to become a dancer later in life. I still enjoy it a lot, though, and do what I can! Aside from that, I am exceedingly pleased with where I have ended up in life, and I would have no problem doing it the same way again.
Portrait of
Roxanna wearing a ruff
BPP: What was
the exact moment that you realized what you wanted to do with your life? How
did you feel at this very moment?
Roxanna Walitzki: The most significant moment came when I was in high school when I started taking voice lessons. I had always loved singing and thought I wanted to sing popular music. I didn’t know anything about classical music, but this was what my voice teacher taught. One of the first songs that she assigned me was a German art-song – “Das verlassene Mägdlein” by Hugo Wolf, and I was instantly won over. This song combines the most serene simplicity with emotional and musical complexity, and I immediately felt like I had to take it into myself and make it my own.
I still get that very same feeling
whenever I encounter other music of the same caliber, and I use this feeling –
this need – whenever things get difficult or I feel like giving up. It’s about the music and the music always
brings me back.
Still image
from the Mignon video
BPP: Would
you like to tell us something we didn’t ask until now?
Roxanna Walitzki: I really hope that more creative
people will give classical music a chance; in particular, I am always amazed
when the brilliant artists I meet have never heard of art-songs. I truly wish that some day there will be more
of a dialogue and more collaboration between classical musicians and other
creative people. Of course, there is an
enormous amount of other fantastic music out there as well, but I see myself as
a champion for classical music, especially art-songs, because these are
definitely genres in danger of being forgotten.
This terrifies me because the music is so fantastic.
Headshot from
Mignon Video
Youtube
Channel featuring performance videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/RoxannaWalitzki/videos?view=0
Etsy
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/RoxannaWalitzki
Photos copyright by Roxanna Walitzki, Redd Walitzki. All rights reserved.
Photos copyright by Roxanna Walitzki, Redd Walitzki. All rights reserved.
ALL CONTENT © ISMINI KARALI 2011 - 2013. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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