Hilary Hahn on the Web
From “Fourth and Olive -- A Reader’s Journal”
My daughter and I saw the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform last week at the Hollywood Bowl in a program that included violinist Hilary Hahn. My daughter, who is nine, was impressed that Hahn (now 26) had begun her concert career at the age of 13.
She wanted to learn a little more about this famous young American musician, so we visited Hahn’s “official” Web site the other night and both came away impressed.
To be sure, the site contains all the elements you would expect from a major concert and recording artist. There is an informative bio. A calendar lists tour dates. Another page lists Hahn’s albums and includes links that allow visitors to purchase and download music.
But it’s the personal touches that set this site apart. Hahn keeps a journal of her time on the road, full of insights into the troubadour life (a recent entry on a Santa Barbara concert affords a glimpse into how hard classical artists rehearse). She shares some of her personal “Favorites” (a favorite place to eat in Los Angeles is Grand Central Market downtown). There is an “Opinions” page – instead of Hahn opining, it features her interviews with other musicians on a number of topics (and elicits diverse responses with respect to audiences who insist on applauding between movements in a musical work).
Our favorite pages were the ones entitled “Itty Bitty News” and “Fan Art.”
“Itty Bitty News” seems to be mostly anecdotes that Hahn felt warranted a telling separate from her journal. I was fascinated by her account of what’s involved in the upkeep and repair of her violin. My daughter enjoyed reading about the life and times of Hahn’s pet guinea pig, (the late) Psyche. There was also a surprisingly ribald (and very funny) anecdote about a conductor who used a certain Anglicism for “eraser” in a rehearsal, momentarily forgetting its double entendre status (my daughter found the story puzzling, but thankfully didn’t insist on a detailed explanation).
“Fan Art” is exceedingly charming – Hahn posts drawings and artwork young concertgoers have given to her and invites fans to stop by after her concerts to bring more, which she promises to add to her Web site.
The site has genuine personality. The writing is of a very high caliber, but doesn’t read like publicist-generated copy. The voice is that of a perceptive artist with lively sense of humor who respects and likes her fans and loves being a musician.
hilaryhahn.com
My daughter and I saw the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform last week at the Hollywood Bowl in a program that included violinist Hilary Hahn. My daughter, who is nine, was impressed that Hahn (now 26) had begun her concert career at the age of 13.
She wanted to learn a little more about this famous young American musician, so we visited Hahn’s “official” Web site the other night and both came away impressed.
To be sure, the site contains all the elements you would expect from a major concert and recording artist. There is an informative bio. A calendar lists tour dates. Another page lists Hahn’s albums and includes links that allow visitors to purchase and download music.
But it’s the personal touches that set this site apart. Hahn keeps a journal of her time on the road, full of insights into the troubadour life (a recent entry on a Santa Barbara concert affords a glimpse into how hard classical artists rehearse). She shares some of her personal “Favorites” (a favorite place to eat in Los Angeles is Grand Central Market downtown). There is an “Opinions” page – instead of Hahn opining, it features her interviews with other musicians on a number of topics (and elicits diverse responses with respect to audiences who insist on applauding between movements in a musical work).
Our favorite pages were the ones entitled “Itty Bitty News” and “Fan Art.”
“Itty Bitty News” seems to be mostly anecdotes that Hahn felt warranted a telling separate from her journal. I was fascinated by her account of what’s involved in the upkeep and repair of her violin. My daughter enjoyed reading about the life and times of Hahn’s pet guinea pig, (the late) Psyche. There was also a surprisingly ribald (and very funny) anecdote about a conductor who used a certain Anglicism for “eraser” in a rehearsal, momentarily forgetting its double entendre status (my daughter found the story puzzling, but thankfully didn’t insist on a detailed explanation).
“Fan Art” is exceedingly charming – Hahn posts drawings and artwork young concertgoers have given to her and invites fans to stop by after her concerts to bring more, which she promises to add to her Web site.
The site has genuine personality. The writing is of a very high caliber, but doesn’t read like publicist-generated copy. The voice is that of a perceptive artist with lively sense of humor who respects and likes her fans and loves being a musician.
hilaryhahn.com
posted by Tim McGarry at 6:00 PM
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