32 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 13-19, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE Michelle Djokic sits in her Sand City loft on a warm February afternoon. It was our third time meeting there. The previous time we discussed a presentation by Musikiwest, a nonprofit performing arts organization of which she is artistic director. The time before that was for a concert at the SandBox, a venue she operates literally downstairs from where she resides. Meeting Djokic, it quickly becomes clear that she is passionate and committed to what she does. Djokic is a Grammy-nominated cellist, a full-time member of the New Century Chamber Orchestra in San Francisco and the artistic director and founder of Concordia Chamber Players in New Hope, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Trenton, New Jersey and has taught at Brown University. Djokic came to California 20 years ago. She moved to Sand City in 2021. In the four years since, she has cultivated an experience akin to the artistic enclaves of lower Manhattan, downtown Los Angeles or San Francisco. Weekly: So I know you must travel a lot. Djokic: Traveling sort of goes with the territory of what we do as musicians. I’ve done a lot of jobs where theoretically I would have been more stable, but it’s not really in my DNA to do that. Why do you think that is? The experiences that I’ve had in orchestra have always been very exciting, for sure, because there’s repertoire that [as a chamber musician] you don’t get to play. But there’s no room for the individual in that type of setting. I found that when I was playing chamber music in an intimate musical setting that I was far more inspired to put it out there. What was it about the cello that attracted you? My dad was a steel worker. My mom, a stay-at-home mom. We didn’t have money at all, but my father made sure that we all had music lessons every Saturday. My cello came because somebody at the steel mill said that they had heard there was a guy selling one. My dad brought it home, and he looked at us seven kids, and it turned out it was a half-size cello. I was the only one small enough, so it just became mine. Why was it important for all seven children to play music? My mother’s French, my father’s Serbian. They came to the States after [World War II], when my dad was liberated from a concentration camp in occupied France. Music, I think, was for them a balm for their nostalgia. It represented to them something that also had very strong ties to the homelands. Do you compose your own material? No, I just do arrangements. I mean, I’ve written some little things—nothing of importance. I leave that to others. I’m very goofy when it gets right down to it, but I don’t mind being goofy. What is goofy to you? Goofy is tender and soulful, but sweet. You know, I lack the courage to explore things that are complex, and perhaps I’d lack the knowledge. Maybe that’s more like it. I don’t think that you’re lacking in courage. I don’t know. I wish I had paid more attention to my music theory classes— although, you know, everything that we were told we weren’t supposed to do, composers are doing today. So maybe it doesn’t really matter that much. What is the value of a musical program to you? I think that as artists, we have a responsibility to provide solace, insight, inspiration, support. I look back and I think, OK, “nostalgia.” What is that? It’s things that are very familiar. I’m programming something in the fall that’s going to bring together my talents in the classical world, infused with the Beatles influence. It will fuse together instruments, a string quartet and a trumpet player. The title of the program is called Come Together. Your venue space is downstairs. You live upstairs. How do you separate those two spaces of your life? Even if [SandBox] wasn’t in the downstairs of my apartment, it would be hard to separate myself from it. Everywhere, I see people sitting, where they sat, what we did, what we said. I mean, there’s always lingering memories of all those encounters, which is incredibly special. There are very few places where—similar to New Hope, or Carmel, for instance—you can visit and you know there’ve been artists living there. You can’t escape it. It’s in everything you see and feel. Hot Box Cellist Michelle Djokic has turned a venue in Sand City into a performance destination. By Jesse Herwitz While Michelle Djokic travels to perform with chamber orchestras, she also created a local venue that is attracting musicians of national stature. DANIEL DREIFUSS LOVE ANIMALS? LOVE HELPING? This Valentine’s Day buy a ticket to our Stay Home & Get Cozy event on February 20th. Stay home and support the older cats of Monterey County at the same time! Choose an activity like baking cookies with your cat or playing dominoes with your dog. All participants will be entered in a drawing to win fabulous prizes. Tickets available through gocatrescue.org/stay-home or scan this QR code. If you would like to sponsor our next ad, please call us at 831-200-9232 or email info@gocatrescue.org. 831.200.9232 PO Box 683 Monterey, CA 93942 www.gocatrescue.org Bradley Want to meet Bradley? Please fill out our online adoption questionnaire. Things to love: approx. 8 year old - 9 lbs - male - Chiweenie Bradley may take time to trust, but once he does, he’s all in—ready for snuggles, sunbathing, and cozy blanket naps. He adores playing fetch, tucking in his stuffed toy, and finding the warmest spots to unwind. Bradley thrives in a patient, quiet home. Could you be his perfect match? If you’d like sponsor our next ad, give us a call. 831-718-9122 | www.POMDR.org P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 Ad Sponsored by C & C Repair Inc. German Car Specialist www.CCRepairMonterey.com In Memory of Dirk
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