Meet Danae Vlasse | Director, Piano Instructor & Composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danae Vlasse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danae, why did you pursue a creative career?
I began studying music so young I don’t even remember my first piano lesson. In some sense music was so ingrained in my life that I just kept doing it because nothing else was powerful enough to pull me away from it. So the question is not so much why I chose a career in music, but mostly why I kept doing it in spite of an auto immune disease which over the years increasingly made practicing and performing a painful experience. When I couldn’t perform I started to refocus my energy in two other areas; teaching and composing. I essentially stumbled on a path that suits my creative need even more now than where my career trajectory began! I make music for 3 reasons: 1) I value what this musical path has given me;

I love the freedom to run my own business, and the opportunity to be creative every day. I never have a day off, but because I love what I do … (yes it sounds cliché) I can go for a long time without needing a vacation! 2) I value my role as a teacher;

I think it’s important for me to train the performers and educate the audiences of tomorrow. For a single concert artist to have a successful career, it will take thousands of music-loving fans to support that artist. I am committed to making music part of each child’s life, in such a way that no matter their level of musical achievement, I will measure their success by whether they have developed fondness for music and desire to support professional artists!

I value bringing guidance and personal time to children who rarely have the undivided attention of an adult who is unconditionally attentive for an hour with them. (I see my students 1 or 2 times a week, and I’m “on call” in between.) Most parents are so relieved to have another adult in their child’s life – someone who will defend parental choices, but who gives kids a sense that they’re being heard (I’m like a cool aunt)! It is an delight for me to see children grow into adults, and I really enjoy how my role shifts with them as they mature; first I’m a nurturing teacher, then I’m increasingly a mentor (through teen years) and eventually I’m a friend & musical coach when they reach adulthood.

The Covid 19 pandemic was a professional “earthquake” and transitioning to teaching online was daunting at first but I’m happily managing it now and expect to continue the rest of this school year since LA County schools will remain virtual as well. I am finding online teaching to require more effort to convey warmth and genuine care but on the other hand my students have a stellar attendance record, and are all progressing beautifully! They welcome online performance opportunities and my adult students in particular are huge fans of this new modality! 3) I value my work as a musician/composer;

I want a world filled with Peace and Love! How does music help us get there? We slow down and connect to ourselves, then patiently and compassionately, we commune with others. My greatest hope is to bring audiences a sense of connection to themselves. [In the frenetic pace of life (especially in LA) I think that just offering listeners a few minutes to slow down and FEEL is all we need to center ourselves as a society, so allowing a moment of musical reflection to bring people into deeper emotional grounding seems to be a portal to social betterment.] I hope that one person’s ability to experience internal clarity will in turn help bring solace in a shared community. The most basic element that draws a listener into a state of deep connection with music is simply to feel “understood” and if my music can help someone feel that I have given voice to their internal experiences, then for me it is a privilege to be part of that shared humanity.

The connection that music generates is not unique among the arts, but it is uniquely accessible and pervasive. I also believe that (as much as I adore Classical music) the value that music brings to a society is partly exemplified by diversity so I believe that there’s a place for all genres.

Music is a particularly powerful and durable historical marker, setting a stamp that defines its historical context for hundreds of years. I’m honored to be part of the Western Classical tradition, weaving my own thread in a 1000 year old musical tapestry!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My music is somewhat unusual because I’m not as contemporary as my peers. My style is more traditional, with lyrical melodic lines and it’s more harmonically grounded than a lot of the new Classical concert music being written today. This isn’t a conscious choice so much as it is just the honest representation of my own natural musical voice. As a whole my music is readily accessible to Classical listeners because it’s so rooted in the sounds they know, from Beethoven to Chopin, Brahms, and Debussy. As much as my sound is influenced by the great masters of music history, I do have a defined musical sound which is recognizable to my fans. I’m lucky to have the support of some Classical labels that are happy to distribute my albums, and I’ve been blessed with radio airplay too! My path to becoming a composer was not linear; although I’ve studied music all my life, and I’ve been composing since college, I really didn’t get serious about writing significant amounts of new music until my late 20s. The upward trajectory was slow at first, but I was fortunate enough to get noticed by violinist Mischa Lefkowitz (the most senior member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) and he really championed my work! My advice to young artists who are thinking of going into an artistic career; If this pandemic has taught performing artists one thing it’s to be flexible so… Embrace change – it’s inevitable. I’m still working all the time on finding the balance between controlling things I can actually manage, and letting go of the things I can’t control. It takes a lot of faith to accept disappointments as part of what is “supposed” to happen in your life! Challenges are an opportunity to be more creative; use creativity to find a way AROUND a problem. Usually it helps the overall product be more original when you are ready to put aside your original plan and do something unexpected along the way!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would absolutely take my friend to see a concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and also the Hollywood Bowl if possible! The Blue Whale is also a phenomenal music venue! For scenic outings I’d go hike from the Griffith Observatory to the Hollywood Sign, and see Point Dume in Malibu! (For more arduous hiking there’s always Mt San Antonio!) I’d also take my friend to the Getty Museum, Getty Villa, and LACMA! Shopping? Abbot Kinney Blvd – it’s more authentic than the tourist-experience of Rodeo Drive! Oh, and a Whale Watching trip or a weekend in Catalina Island would be very memorable too!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Art is never created in a vacuum and every record I’ve released has been the culmination of countless sources of influence, from every teacher I’ve had, to every friend & family member I’ve had to lean upon. I couldn’t create all this art without the unwavering support of my husband, my friends, and the teams of people who’ve all contributed their time, their talents, and immense kindness in an effort to help me achieve my dreams! My 2020 album “Poème” (a Classical album of French Art Songs and solo piano pieces) is a perfect example; for a single track featuring one performer, there are a dozen other people who contribute “behind the scenes” to making the recording & music video possible: recording/mixing/mastering engineers and their assistants, plus at least one producer, plus studio management piano technicians and cleaning personnel. And once the music has been recorded there’s a team of people that spring into action; PR promoters, radio promo, visual artists (who work on promotional materials), photographers, videographers, directors, makeup & hair people… etc. The point is that when we celebrate artists we must understand that they are part of a whole assembly that brings their talents to heighten the artistry of the whole project. My music is the expression of my own creative vision, polished through the process of joining all the forces that come to bear on my work; my husband who listens patiently as I complain about my struggles, every friend who offers feedback, each great piece of art, visual, written, or aural which inspires me, every advisor whom I ask for perspective when I’m stuck… and indeed the artists themselves who want to perform & record my music… these are all elements that make my music come to life!

Website: www.danaevlasse.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danaevlasse/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danae-vlasse-7106205b/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanaeVlasse
Facebook: Danae Vlasse
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/music-vision-studios-winnetka-3
Youtube: Music Vision Studios
Other: http://www.musicvisionstudios.com/

Image Credits
Moon photo credit; Fritz Heede All others: Nicholas Booth