<<  -- 2 --  Anya Lomakova    AN UNCANNY EMERGING ARTIST

During his spare time (March 2005 being the last occasion he can recall), Fisher turns his attention to a burgeoning solo career, touring with renowned orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. This past summer took Fisher on tour to Japan, and May 2006 will see his first sojourn to Denmark, where he will début with the Copenhagen Symphony. In addition to all this, there has even been some buzz of late that Fisher will soon be appearing in a feature film, alongside a cast of A-list Hollywood stars. He will be playing a conductor, leading a full orchestra during a short scene set at Yale University in the 1940s.

'It was quite funny, actually. They asked me to come down to the studio for a screen test, and I had wanted to get a haircut beforehand. I was even cursing myself, thinking I really should have found the time. When I walked in, though, the casting director told me I got the part, and she immediately said, "And for God's sake, whatever you do, do not cut your hair!"' (For multiple reasons, I am barred from releasing too many details about the upcoming blockbuster, but I will say that the film's director is a legendary Hollywood actor whose name rhymes with 'Dodger TheHero'.)

Fisher belongs to an increasing wave of new generation artists who are successfully building careers and carving out niches for themselves in the music world without the so-called 'aid' of standardized, politically manipulated piano competitions.

'I feel that competitions only provide quick, immediate answers, and they don't really give performers a true sense of what their role in music is. Very often, people win them at too young an age, before they have formed an idea of what they really want to achieve in the music world, and consequently, some of them just become victims of the system. Of course, some pianists are suited to that competitive atmosphere, and do very well. But I think that in general, competitions provide somewhat of an illusion, and young musicians might be much better off trying to find other ways to make careers.'

Such as ...? 'Well, by getting involved with the music community, instead of just shutting themselves away in a practice room, preparing repertoire for the competition circuit. Music is about meeting people, learning from them, playing with them -- learning what kind of music you like to perform, and who you like to perform it with.'

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