March 25, 2011
As the saying goes, "practice, practice, practice gets you to Carnegie Hall." For violinist Guillaume Tardif, Associate Professor and String Area Coordinator in the Department of Music, that dream is about to come true after years of dedication and practice. On March 25th, Tardif will be playing a concert at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Accompanied by Roger Admiral on piano, Tardif will be performing 24 Paganini Caprices for Violin, Op.1, composed by Raymond Gallois-Monbrun.
"I have practiced very hard for this concert because I have been carrying around these caprices for many years and studying them. I found a new arrangement with piano, which has never been played and will be a New York premiere," shares Tardif, who happened to find the caprices when he was studying at Rochester University. "All of these elements coming together is very exciting for me."
The concert opportunity came about when Tardif sent an application to concert promotion company MidAmerica Productions, and soon received word that he was being invited to play. Ironically, his colleague cellist Tanya Prochazka applied independently with her pianist, and will also be playing at Carnegie Hall on March 24th, 2011.
The effort that goes into preparing for such a performance is tremendous, and Tardif admits to practicing five to six hours a day.
"To play through 24 caprices takes an hour and a half of performance time. If you go through the process of playing that every day for a year, you can calculate the amount of hours you spend working on it," he states. "It is also based on your psychological level. If you fear the piece and feel like you will make mistakes, you tend to practice a lot. When you gain confidence you can cut down your practice time. However, the fear factor in these pieces can be tough to overcome".
Though Tardif has played in New York City before, this will be his first performance in the world famous concert hall. He admits to approaching the concert in a more concentrated way than any other before.
"In the end you just work hard, and present the best way you can," he shares.
The performance could mean huge exposure for Tardif. It will be nationally broadcast and reviewed in the United States, and has potential to introduce him to agents and music promoters.
"I also hope students will come to listen. It's great music to hear and I think many people may be interested in using this arrangement," he says. "With music, you start in this centre of energy and you never know what opportunities that can present themselves."
Regardless of the performance outcome, Tardif says he is passionate about the works he is playing, and enjoys the time he spends perfecting them.
"Music is something I don't think about making time for. I live it. I eat it. I burn it."