Virtuoso violinist James Ehnes says you have a 'responsibility' to develop your talent
The Grammy-winning Canadian musician sits down with Q’s Tom Power to talk about his life in music
James Ehnes's story is about a few things: the complicated feelings that can arise from growing up as a child prodigy, how much you really have to practice to maintain your greatness, and the responsibility you have to your own gifts and talents.
Ultimately, though, Ehnes's story is about an artist at the top of his game.
The Grammy-winning musician grew up in a musical household in Brandon, Man., where he started playing violin at age four. By 13, he was onstage performing with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and since then, he's become one of the most sought-after violinists in the world.
Ehnes's father, Alan Ehnes, was a trumpet professor at Brandon University and his mother, Barbara Withey Ehnes, was a ballet dancer. But he remembers it was an episode of Sesame Street featuring violinist Itzhak Perlman that first sparked his interest in the instrument.
"[People] think, 'Oh, your parents probably gave you an instrument and told you to play it.' And it really wasn't like that at all," Ehnes tells Q's Tom Power. "I kind of had this intense desire to play a violin and they were like, 'Well, OK, we'll give it a try. See how it goes.'"
Right away, it was obvious that Ehnes was a natural at the violin, but he says it's never too late to learn — as long as you can accept that you're probably not going to be very good at first.
"I think that people often talk about this with instruments in general, but I think with violin in particular, they say, 'Well, you know, you got to start young,'" he says. "And I think that's discouraging sometimes because people have this idea like, 'I'm 12 or 14 and it's too late for me now.' I don't think that there's anything to that, except the fact that when you're really little, you just don't mind how bad you sound.
"It's not like somehow there's something magical that happens that you lose when you're older. I think that it's just older students get so discouraged because it takes a while to sound decent. But, I mean, all that being said, I think that I did have sort of a natural ability for it. And I think that I had, also, an incredible amount of encouragement."
Early on, Ehnes realized he had a special gift and was able to advance more quickly than his peers. His parents told him he had a responsibility to his talent, and he should be grateful for it.
If you love it, and you recognize that you're good at it, it's kind of a responsibility to develop that talent as much as you can.- James Ehnes
"I think everybody's good at something — I really strongly believe that," he tells Power. "When you're lucky enough to recognize what it is … you need to recognize how lucky you are for that….
"That was something that was kind of hammered home to me at an early age, that if you love it, and you recognize that you're good at it, it's kind of a responsibility to develop that talent as much as you can. Because not everyone who wants it as much as you is going to have that much ability to work. And so, yeah, it's kind of a weird thing to talk about. But I think, you know, now that I'm raising children myself, it's something I try to instill in them as well."
The full interview with James Ehnes is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. He talks more about the violin, the reality of being a child prodigy and why great violinists should stay away from basketball. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with James Ehnes produced by Ben Edwards.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
