It was rather a fun experience performing for Caffé Nero staff, meeting with over 150 people watching me playing from my home studio. And the most unusual part of it was that I had to perform at 10:30 in the morning! Initially I thought I should be wearing shades, and having a gallon of coffee next to my piano, but surprisingly, for someone who is quite an introvert in the mornings, it went quite well!
I often get up early in the morning, but I never have breakfast right away. The first thing is coffee, then writing, then yoga... This day was the same. However, I had to put all my performance gear and make up on by 9 a.m., as well as force myself to have some kind of breakfast, as I know too well that performing on a completely empty stomach, can be a straight path to memory loss... so I did my best...
It was an honour to be a part of a Caffé Nero staff meeting I have a long-standing relationship with Caffé Nero, as I am their ‘in-house Russian pianist’ and have been working with Caffé Nero since 2013 since I started to compose. I now have 10 original tracks playing on their classical music playlist, which you can catch up in the morning.
I learned more about the stages of the virus and vaccine, than I have ever learned from the newspapers. Then I was invited to perform, and chat to over 150 people! Whilst I was waiting, I could not help but notice, how bizarre and wonderful this situation was: here I was, sitting in my flat, playing on my beloved Steinway without having to travel anywhere, and yet communicating to a large number of people I have never met! If I wanted, I could have worn slippers, as the end of my feet were not visible to the viewers. But, of course, I was wearing high heels, the same as I would wear to public performances in a traditional setting.
The performance went well, I chatted and played as usual, as I always do at my concerts.
I was amazed and excited: how many opportunities are lying out there for many of us and, as in my case, for musicians. It also made me think that maybe it is OK to do a public concert from your own studio, and the audience, if they love your music, would really appreciate this.
If you have any thoughts on the above, I would be delighted to hear from you! Let me know what you think, as I may consider organising a solo concert very soon!
With love,
GéNIA
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