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Møt musikerne: Sonoko Miriam Welde

Meet the musicians: Sonoko Miriam Welde

interview
L
Live Klassisk3 min read|27. November 2024
Welcome to our interview relay with musicians from the classical music scene! Today we are delighted to introduce Sonoko Miriam Welde. She works as a violinist. Here she shares her thoughts on classical music and recommends upcoming concerts for both new and experienced concertgoers!
Name, instrument and profession?
Sonoko Miriam Welde, violin. Freelance musician, member of the string quartet Opus13 and current artistic director of Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden.
What instrument do you play?
I am currently playing a 1736 Antonio Stradivarius, the “Spencer Dyke”, generously loaned by Anders Sveaas' Almennyttige Fond, for which I am incredibly grateful!
What are you working on at the moment?
I am playing chamber music and solo concerts here and there, working towards next year's Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden and practising for a spring of quartet competitions.
Most overrated composer or piece?
Perhaps Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations. 🫣 Sorry, cellists...
And at the opposite end… which music should everyone really get to experience?
Cosi fan tutte by Mozart. I love this music. A brilliant combination of the heavenly beautiful and the silly.
Your latest great concert experience – what made it so special?
At this year's Stavanger kammermusikkfestival I played Olivier Messiaen's “Quartet for the End of Time” for the first time. It was both terribly stressful and incredibly beautiful to be in Messiaen's special sound world, and when the last note had been played I felt that we had been through something big.
Can you remember a single event or experience that made you want to pursue a career as a musician?
I do not think I had one such moment, but a formative experience was when, aged 14 at Barratt Due, I got to work on Schubert's String Quintet in C major for a whole year. It was the first time I had worked so thoroughly on a chamber music work and I found out that this was a type of process I find very exciting.
Do you have any role models? Is there anyone who has been particularly motivating or inspiring for you?
I get inspired by all kinds of people all the time, but I can mention Quatuor Ébène, Belcea Quartet, Vertavo Quartet, and Janine Jansen, who was my teacher for four years until this summer. When I came to her, I had a very strained and difficult relationship with practising and playing. She was patient and pulled me back onto my feet while constantly demonstrating a way of making music that is full of curiosity and love.
It has also inspired me to start teaching myself.
Do you have any advice for “new listeners” who are curious about classical music and do not go to concerts very often?
Try going to concerts in somewhat more relaxed and informal settings where you get close to the music and the performers, e.g. Oslo Quartet Series Sessions at Trekanten in Oslo, or Kammerdrops at the café Nobel Bopel in Bergen with musicians from Harmonien. It is quite different from the more traditional and ceremonial concerts in larger halls (which of course can also be very good!).
Any upcoming concerts you would recommend?
3 chamber music tips:
-28 January at Gamle Logen, Oslo: Belcea Quartet plays Britten and Beethoven at Oslo Kvartettserie. It is powerful to hear this group live, with their incredible precision and musical nerve.
-Vinterspill in Lillehammer, 14-16 February.
My quartet Opus13's festival. This year's guest artists are Håvard Gimse, Emilie Hörnlund (Chiaroscuro Quartet), Kvartett Saphir and Gjermund Larsen Trio.
-Vinterfestspill i Bergstaden, Røros, 13-16 March. In my second year as artistic director I look forward to experiencing, among others, Sergio Tiempo, Amalie Stalheim, Sissel Kyrkjebø and KORK!
Applause between movements: for or against?
If it feels right and does not disturb the moment, go for it!
What do you like to do to relax when you are not playing or practising? Do you have any special hobbies?
I go to the theatre quite a lot and watch baseball from the USA, often at completely irresponsible times far into the night because of time differences...
Finally – who would you like to challenge to take over the baton?
Mezzo-soprano Tone Kummervold.
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