Quote of the day: “Go out, take a bow, and kill the crowd.”
I can still remember so clearly, the day of my first rehearsal with the Selangor Symphony, my first time playing with an orchestra. The memory still lingers in my head whenever I thought about it and was as if it happened yesterday. The first rehearsal happened a day before the concert and we had extremely little time for rehearsals, I was so nervous that I can even hear my heart beating wildly inside. And the fact that the orchestra is behind me and watching so closely to my playing made it even worse than I already felt. Luckily, my piece wasn’t as complicated as the others, so we ran through the piece a few times and worked on some little details. To be honest, I wasn’t actually satisfied with my rehearsal that day, so after I went back, I gave a lot of thought about where and how I should work on to make improvements.
It definitely felt unrealistic being on stage and about to perform for a huge crowd on the concert day, I remembered feeling anxious when it was my turn to go out on stage, and the last one too. And that’s when the quote comes in, I told myself before I went out: “Denise, go out, take a bow, and kill the crowd.” At that moment, what I needed to do became very clear, and it was to show what I could do to the audience with only my violin that produces sound instead of words, to tell them what I meant with my violin. Of course, I know I could do better, but I was quite happy with the results which I have worked so hard on.
Undoubtedly, Euroasia Competition certainly helped me to strive forward and work even harder to achieve my objectives. Through the competition, I obtain a lot of experience and restored my confidence at the same time. Moreover, it has inspired me to become a better musician when watching the others play outstandingly. In short, the competition undeniably assisted me when I hit a plateau and felt utterly disappointed in myself.
It was one of my dreams to play with an orchestra, and thanks to Euroasia, Mr Eugene Pook and the Selangor Symphony for giving me this opportunity, I finally fulfilled my dream. Also my teachers, Ms Angel and Mr Jonathan, without them, I’m not sure if I would still be playing the violin. And of course, my friends and family, your support has given me confidence that I never had. Lastly, my current teacher, Mr Ka Ming, he made me see and understand different sides of music that I have never been before, and taught me how to express myself, my identity with my music, and for that, I am very grateful. I shall always be indebted to them for their eternal support and encouragement to become who I am today.
There is still a long way for me, and a lot of hardships waiting for me along the way on my music journey. I will overcome them with smiles and show you that I am capable of reaching my final goal that I long awaited for.
Denise Mubin.