Emilija Kortus

Events:

Born in:

Toronto, Kanada

Current centre of life:

Berlin und Leipzig

Instrument:

Violine

Second, third or even fourth instrument:

Piano, but not as fit as when I was twelve.

My career aspiration as a child:

I’ve always wanted to be a violinist.

This was the profession my parents envisioned for me:

Musician (violinist) because my parents saw how much happiness music brings me.

Works or concert experiences that shaped me:

Works by J.S. Bach, D. Scarlatti, L.v. Beethoven, Paul Hindemith and Eugène Ysaÿe have always been the greatest pleasure for me to experience in concert, or to play myself.

Work with the greatest music-making pleasure (and why?):

The first violin sonata, op. 80, in F minor by Sergei Prokofiev, because behind this piece lies all of Prokofiev’s genius. Of course, the pleasure of music-making should always be as great as possible for all works.

Von dieser Komponistin / diesem Komponisten wünsche ich mir ein Werk für mein Instrument (und warum?):

It would be a dream for me if Miles Davis had written pieces for violin, because it would expand our repertoire incredibly much.

I would get up in the middle of the night for that:

Catching a flying mosquito.

Special / curious own concert experience:

When I played the world premiere of John Cage’s “Cheap Imitation” for violin in 2013, other five players played other works by Cage at the same time. This concept became a beautiful mix/work at that time and inspired me to always stay curious and open. The motto of this project was John Cage’s sentence: “I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

My most valuable tip for the next generation of musicians:

Always look out for each other and always trust in each other.

That's what I wish for the future of the classical music scene:

That classical music reaches out to even more people and that we always develop new ideas.

That's what I associate with Leipzig as a city of music:

Since I have been living and studying in Leipzig since 2015, I associate Leipzig with numerous study experiences, concerts (e.g. in the Thomaskirche, Schumann-Haus, Mendelssohn-Haus, etc.), and festivals that have taken place in Leipzig. Likewise, the intensive work with Ms Widmann and evenings at the Beyerhaus and Flowerpower with friends who are now family to me.