From Busyness to Sustainability w/ Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir
Sæunn happens to be one of the most respected cellists in the world, performing with orchestras like the Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and Iceland Symphony, and in venues like Carnegie Hall, Barbican, and Suntory Hall, to name just a few accolades. She’s basically one of the best out there, for those who find language like that easier to understand.
But what makes Sæunn stand out beyond her accolades are the challenges she throws at accepted narratives both in the classical music world and beyond.
Sæunn is the kind of kindred spirit I don’t have to circle around or soften edges for. There’s an immediate intellectual and emotional honesty and shared language that allows us to get straight to the heart of the matter without performance.
This was her first reappearance on Tapasya Loading since lockdown.
The last time we spoke, the world was paused. And both of us have stepped away from academia as full-time identities since, and re-examined calendars from a different lens as performing artists as well.
A central thread in this chat is our shared fascination, and frustration, with how many co-artists remain passively locked into inherited industry narratives.
So we talk candidly about how many of these myths get internalized, shape behaviour, and how difficult it can be to step outside them without feeling like we’re risking our worth.
We reflect on the assumption of being ‘busy’ being the same as being ‘good’, and the fear and freedom that comes when we’re no longer chasing multiple forms of what are essentially external sources of validation.
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Episode Notes / Text : www.tlwrites.com
Cellist
Sæunn Thorsteinsdottir is an Icelandic cellist who has appeared as soloist with the BBC Symphony, LA Philharmonic, Toronto, Seattle, and Iceland Symphonies. Her recitals and chamber music performances have taken her to some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, Elbphilharmonie and the Barbican Center in London. The NYTimes described her as “charismatic” and “riveting”, and the LATimes praised her performances for their “emotional intensity”.
Sæunn has garnered numerous prizes in international competitions, including the Naumburg Competition in New York and the Antonio Janigro Competition in Zagreb. She is on faculty at the University of Washington in Seattle, teaching cello and chamber music.
Sæunn recently released an album of Icelandic works for solo cello, “Vernacular”, and her recording of the cello concerto “Quake” by Páll Ragnar Pálsson with the Iceland Symphony was nominated for a 2020 Grammy award. Her recording of the Six Bach Suites is scheduled for release in late 2022 on the Sono Luminus label.
Musician/Educator, Founder: Holistic Musician Academy
Indian-German Producer/Singer-Songwriter T.L. Mazumdar grew up on 3 continents and 4 countries.
Mentored by a series of iconic musicians like Kenny Werner, Kai Eckhardt, Dr John Matthias, and the late Gary Barone, his artistic journey has aptly been described by Rolling Stone magazine as one that ‘...personifies multiculturalism’.
Time Out Mumbai has referred to him as ‘’...amongst a handful of Indian (origin) musicians who don't have to play sitars or tablas''
He has been nominated for German Music awards
Bremer Jazzpreis and Future Sounds Jazz Award, and been called ''...a major talent'' by Jack Douglas (Producer: John Lennon, Miles Davis, etc.). .
