Hack Artists
Origin story: When I was a junior in high school I was in a quintet for Solo & Ensemble. I was the sole first violinist, and the piece that we chose was definitely out of my ability level. I believe we only did the exposition of Beethoven's 18th string quartet. Our performance, as you might expect, did not go very well. I felt very ashamed that our performance went so poorly, but at least we finished together. The judge did like that we attempted actual repertoire, but we definitely should have picked something easier. The only thing I really remembered from the critique was when the judge basically called me a hack artist. That was something that really resonated with me, because if that performance you only saw from me, you would think the same thing. However, I did not let that one poor performance set me back. If anything, I was way more motivated to get better at being a violinist, and especially leading an ensemble. That summer and subsequent year, I really dedicat...