32 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 16-22, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com FACE TO FACE Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu is playing a Dvorák concerto in her new house in Carmel Valley. Then she moves to Bach’s “Chaconne, Partita No. 2”, which is one of the most meaningful pieces to her—and perhaps to most violinists, or so she guesses. Wu is wearing a handmade dress, a gift from her husband, but no shoes, and moving softly with her violin. She has been moving with her violin for most of her life. Born in Taipei, at 14 she went to New York City to study at the Juilliard School. Four years later she arrived in Philadelphia at the Curtis Institute of Music, then went on to Los Angeles to teach at the University of Southern California’s Chamber Music Program. In July 2020, she moved to Monterey County to start a family with her husband, a computer scientist, whom she met when working in L.A. Since September 2022, she has been the artistic director for the nonprofit Chamber Music Monterey Bay. Weekly: Did you and your husband pick Monterey County at random? Wu: We were looking for medium-sized towns, not far from big cities. My husband was familiar with the area. We like California. We could pick Orange County, but we were looking for something new. This is the first place we’ve lived in that is not the center of a big city. And nature and quiet is so for me. It must be a huge change after New York. In New York, we lived in a highrise. Every floor had 20 units, but we didn’t know one neighbor. Here, we live an acre apart from some neighbors, but we hang out together, usually at my home concerts. The whole street became very close friends. We are all different ages, but we meet over the holidays or for game nights. How did you start with the violin? I started piano first, but my brother studied violin. He practiced with our neighbor, who lived two floors above us. She was very scary, with big eyes. Early on, I showed promise. I also know that since I was a child I was extremely fearless. My brother recently showed me a video of me performing for the very first time ever. He was playing the piano part and made a bunch of mistakes, but I just played, ignored mistakes, and loved the stage. Without this sense of calm and zen you can’t be a musician. To be able to focus when you perform—this is real talent. So yes, I’m basically kind of fearless. I’ve dealt with all kinds of things during a concert falling apart, and I can still play. When you went to New York for the first time, were you on your own? I auditioned for Curtis—didn’t get in but I was among finalists. I settled for Juilliard, which I know sounds ridiculous. My mother was going back and forth. I was mostly on my own—school, food, practice. I was happy. I was always an unusual kid. I was wild, outgoing, loved teachers and loved learning. After four years, I auditioned for Curtis again and got in. That was when I fell in love with chamber music. Why chamber music? Chamber music is all about people skills. There are so many benefits to playing chamber music. You make music with your friends. You learn to communicate, get along, accept people, teamwork, leadership. Music is just an example, the same skills are needed in life—when to lead, when to follow. When something is important to you, you lead. If something is important to me, then you follow me. You manage Chamber Music Monterey Bay part-time, and also perform. I typically perform about 50 concerts a year, and each time I leave it’s for three to four days. I always come back here, to my husband and our dog. How did you get involved with CMMB? Peter Meckel from Hidden Valley Music Seminars came to one of my concerts and asked if I could curate some concerts. Then CMMB got in touch. Tell us about the program you lead. One is for local students each semester. We did the first roster in the fall and performed at Santa Catalina School for the benefit of the Food Bank for Monterey County. Now a second roster is forming for the spring, and we will include more children. Another program is still in planning: “Rising Stars.” It would be a residency for some of the best young musicians about to step into the professional world of chamber music. What’s your favorite thing in Monterey County? Asilomar Beach. My hobby is looking at sea creatures. Play On The new artistic director of Chamber Music Monterey Bay is fearless when it comes to music. By Agata Pop˛eda Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu is the part-time artistic director of Chamber Music Monterey Bay, and also performs about 50 concerts a year, while also teaching private music students. DANIEL DREIFUSS If you’d like to sponsor our next ad, give us a call. Zoey Zoey is a fun and quirky little gal who is always excited to meet new friends! 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