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North Shore Symphony Orchestra |
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John Stevenson talks with Machiko Ozawa Ms. Ozawa will perform with the NSSO on May 12, 2007 as a violinist and a tap dancer (Morton Gould’s Tap Dance Concerto).
Machiko Ozawa’s life and career began in Tokyo. In the intervening years she has studied and performed in Japan, England and America. She completed a Bachelor’s degree at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music (Geijutsu Daigaku), earned a diploma from the Guildhall Music School (London) and completed a Master’s degree at the Juilliard School in New York. She began with the piano at age three, but took up serious study of the violin at age eight. Machiko’s first performance was with the Tokyo New City Orchestra when she was fourteen.
Here is a transcript of a conversation I had recently with the delightful Ms. Ozawa.
Machiko, we know from your published biography that you studied the violin for many years, but when did you take up tap dance?
~When I went to college in Japan. In my last year there, I thought I wanted to start some dance lessons. I was a ballet dancer when I was a kid and I love dancing so I was thinking of Flamenco or tap dancing. I found a free trial for a tap dancing lesson in Tokyo. I’ve been crazy about tap dancing ever since. It’s not only dance but music too. It was so much fun to learn steps and make a thousand different rhythms. So, when I went to London, I found the studio for tap and this passion for tap dancing led me to New York City. Well, while I was enrolled in Juilliard, I couldn’t do tap dancing very much. I was very busy studying violin, of course. But when I graduated, I felt very free for music. So I started to create my original music such as my projects, JUSTADUO, M2duo or my original thing playing the violin and dancing tap together.
You appeared with the NSSO in 2004 with JUSTADUO. Can you say a bit about how that very contemporary pairing developed?
~ We are a unique duet. First of all, percussion and violin are very different from each other. The two of us making music together is very interesting. We are both of the same generation and classically trained, but are inspired by many other styles of music all over the world. So, we mix a lot of different styles of music and we are creating our original music with our own words. The only problem is that we are not in a category, so there isn’t a place to put our CD in the record store. That’s a problem, but that’s our music. That’s the point of our music, very crossover in the wide range. The concerto, Syrenes, which we premiered with the NSSO, was very challenging but successful and we are very grateful for this wonderful opportunity.
And is it part of a larger vision you have for extending the concert experience for new audiences?
~Yes, very much. We are living now; I always want to think about our young spirit to enhance our new music. Of course, it is always a great thing that we are learning our history with great composers such as Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and a lot more. But now we are living in this global society and we can see and listen to more things than before. Why not? When I create something I should use all I know. If Mozart were alive now, he might make something unique. I am very sure that he would.
Looking back on your career, do you find differences in performing before audiences in Japan, England and America?
~Not much. Each audience is a different culture of people. But when the music can reach to their heart, it is always same. Even Mexico, it’s the same. I mean how I get into the music is the same.
You now live in New York City. When did you first come to Manhattan? And is NY now the base for your varied performing groups?
~ I moved to NYC in 1997. Then I went to Juilliard and after graduation I started my projects. From 2005 to 2006 I lived in Mexico where I was concertmaster of the Sinaloa State Orchestra. Last fall I returned to NYC and started my projects again. As I said before, I have my NY projects: JUSTADUO, M2duo and a couple of new groups too. It is always very exciting to be based in NYC because many great musician or artists are always around.
I notice you have studied with many famous teachers in New York and Tokyo. Did one of them have greater impact on you technique and performance than others?
~Yes. I respect all my teachers of course. All of them had a huge impact, but especially my Juilliard teacher, Masao Kawasaki; he is the greatest teacher for me to study for technique. Before I studied with him, I had a lot of technique problems playing the violin. Well, playing the violin is not easy. His lessons are like magic. Each time I go to a lesson, all passages that I can’t play go away. I mean he says something and I just follow that. Then I can play those difficult passages. That was amazing. He always told me that even Itzak Perlman or Kyoko Takezawa practice that way. Everybody can get to play.
What influence did your parents have as you were starting out?
~ My parents are not musicians at all. My dad is office worker and my mom is a pharmacist. But my mom is a big music lover and she often played music for a young kid Machiko. I enjoyed music very much and when I was 2 years old, I could memorize a complete song and sing it very well. So, she decided to let me learn piano.
What is your favorite hall to perform in and why?
~There are many places. I like Merkin Hall. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan is the best. Well, any hall with great sound acoustic is great. And if I can focus on the music, that’s very important.
Who among the many young professional fiddle players now appearing do you feel inspires you?
~ I don’t know many. But I went to a New York Philharmonic concert last year to listen to Julia Fisher. That was awesome. I thought I should quit playing. Her performance was strong, musical and beautiful. She had everything. That was amazing performance.
What do you think of Joshua Bell?
~ He is absolutely one of the most beautiful violinists.
Is the Pablo Quartet that you lead a traditional group or more aimed toward the style of the Orion or Ethel?
~We are doing more new style. I can say more Ethel than Orion. Japan is much behind than US in the music scene. So, I am trying to premier or introduce new music for Japan as much as possible. We already performed Ali-Zadeh, Zorn, Zurbin.
How do you see small group performance evolving as players incorporate jazz, computers and electronic sound manipulation on stage?
~It’s very interesting and I want to try to use computer effects too. But I am not a big fan of computer sound. Too much computer is not interesting for me. A computer cannot express people’s emotion. In that point, I prefer acoustic performance much more. There is something reaching to the heart.
What’s your ambition as an artist for the next decade and beyond?
~That’s very good question. I definitely want to look for something that only I can do, but not in a circus way, of course not. Performing is fun. But the same time, we have an audience to consider. I can’t forget that we create the moment together. I always feel something from each audience. That is why each performance is different. So, my point is that I want to create something that I can reach to people’s heart deeper to deeper. I want people to feel or think through my performance. I would be very glad if someone says “I came to this concert because I wanted to hear Machiko’s sound.” |
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