Sima Bezuglova (12) has been playing the violin since she was 7 years old. With her father being a professional violinist and her mother a professional pianist, music has always been a huge part of her life. Following in their footsteps, Bezuglova aspires to play violin professionally, which starts with playing in college. This year, Bezuglova has auditioned at two colleges and plans on going to six more.
Q: What was your home life like growing up?
A: “At all times within my house, there was some sort of music playing going on, whether my parents were practicing, or my mom’s students were over. It was really cool, because I got to experience a lot of the behind the scenes of music making. It’s hard to visualize [being a professional musician] if you’re not seeing the daily effort and hard work that goes into it. I really got to witness that. I also got to hear a lot of my parents playing, a lot of repertoire and a lot of really cool classical concerts, so it was a really immersive experience.”
Q: Could you tell me about what your experiences have been auditioning at these colleges?
A: “It can be stressful, because it’s a very fast-paced environment. The auditions are pretty short. They’re about 10 to 12 minutes at most places, so you need to showcase a lot of your music abilities within a very short period of time. You really need to make every minute count.”
Q: Do you see the violin as a lifelong career for you?
A: “For sure. I hope to continue my education, first of all, and hopefully get a master’s degree and then a doctorate. [I also want to] play in professional orchestras and have my own studio and hopefully get a position at a university someday, teaching.”
Q: How do you prepare for an audition or performance?
A: “First of all, being really well prepared to begin with is really important. I spent the past year preparing for my auditions, making sure that I had all of my repertoire down. When it comes to calming my nerves, I take deep breaths and reminding myself that, again, the people listening to me are rooting for me, and that we’re all human. Mistakes happen and that’s okay.”
Q: Does music help you express yourself in ways words can’t?
A: “For sure, I think music is so cool, it’s like another language. There’s so much passion and emotion in music that it helps me express so much. There have been so many times when I have felt lost or confused or upset, and the violin really helps me to handle those emotions and to express them healthily.”
