With this series, mica – music austria bundles the experiences and perspectives of women in the music business. Why “100 percent”? Because equality is 100 percent aspirational… and there’s still work to be done. In this interview, the violinist speaks Bojidara Kouzmanova (Kreisler Trio Vienna) about their experiences in the music business.
How and where did you gain experience in the music business?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: Through a lot of playing and self-organization. I mainly play chamber music, so you’re neither employed nor part of a large collective (orchestra) where someone else takes care of everything. As a chamber musician, you have to take on a lot of initiative and organizational work. Without the two subjects, a career is impossible.
What were the biggest hurdles and how did you overcome them?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: When I was young, the biggest hurdle was money. I overcame that with work. I financed my whole studies with lessons and games, which was one of the best schools for life. By the time I was 30, I had more than ten years of teaching experience.
“I’ve always been given tasks that wouldn’t be right for many others, but they were for me.”
In what way were you supported on your career path?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: Very different. I was never “protected”. I was always given tasks that would not be right for many others, but they were for me. For example, I have recorded many valuable instruments, spent time with them, practiced and played with them. I got to know and love her. As a “thank you” I learned how to deal with sound, how to get the sound you want out of different instruments. How does it work with a Stradivarius, how do you deal with a Guarneri…? It was a very exciting time, which greatly expanded and enriched my idea of sound – something that I consider to be one of the most important professional features of a musician.
Where would you have liked (more) support?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: As a student, it would have been enormously helpful if I could have received financial support for courses and competitions. I always had to earn twice as much if I wanted to do a course or a competition. All bills to be paid in Vienna plus the extra costs for travel, accommodation and fees for the competition or course. Of course, that made the preparation very difficult.
“There were many successful soloists, but they didn’t show family life and I always wanted to have both.”
Did you have suitable role models in your environment that you could use as a guide?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: Not really in music. There were many successful soloists, but they didn’t show family life and I always wanted to have both. But the more I’ve read about the women in the music business and in music history, the more I’ve seen that each has dealt with the task of 100 percent dividing in two in their own way. I learned a lot from them, from my own experience and from a perseverance that one develops without previously believing it possible. I’ve also been fortunate to meet some amazing women who have shown me that anything is possible if you don’t give up.
What can you share yourself?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: An open ear and an open heart for many problems that can arise in student or professional life and a lot of experience and the will to help.
“…I am taken seriously and respected for who I am and what I can do…”
What role does age play for you?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: A good one for me :-). I was never and thank God I am well past child prodigy age, I am taken seriously and respected for who I am and what I can do, which is definitely easier for some colleagues as I get older.
What would you wish for a more diverse music scene?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: That it doesn’t matter WHO plays, but HOW. That the musical qualities of a musician are above everything else and, as long as others are not harmed, anyone can be whatever they want.
What questions have you been asked frequently that a man would never be asked?
Bojidara Kouzmanova: “How do you manage with a career and a child?!” My husband was never asked such a thing…
Finally, a note from Bojidara Kouzmanova:
The questions were complex and it’s always difficult to answer without thinking about a specific situation. Sometimes I was just lucky, sometimes it was youthful naivety that got me further than I thought possible. (If you don’t know how much you don’t know, it’s easier to learn.) In any case, it was a lot of work. It’s still the driving force in my career to this day.
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Links:
Bojidara Kouzmanova-Vladar
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