Meet Giulia Barba | Saxophonist and Composer

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

Hi Giulia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Music has always been present in my life even when I was doing other things. At a certain point I stopped looking for excuses that would have distract me from what I really wanted to do.

When I started my own business my first thought was the fear of failure. I was afraid to join that subset of people that society defines as “losers”. The first thing I had to do is accepting that life is a constantly evolving path, the final goal is just an illusion, we’ll never get to that point, so it is impossible to fail. I believe success is an idea that exist to provide us a goal in our economic system. The thought of existence as a straight line that must always go upwards or forwards is a recent Western thought. Until the Middle Ages, time was not conceived in this way at all, and in the Eastern world even today life is perceived as a circle, the beginning coincides with the end and vice versa. I believe there is no success, there is no finish line, there is only a journey around a ring and our purpose in this world is to get lost among the paths of its labyrinth.

So I really had to work hard on relieving the pressure of social judgment. Obviously the opinion of others will always have an influence on our decisions, but in this historical period we must be very careful: the people who observe us should see us with the same gaze that we have towards ourselves, we should not allow the opposite to happen, otherwise we no longer know who we are.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Usually the success of a musician is measured by his audience, the more people listen to him and follow him the more successful a musician is. But very often success is not proportionate to the quality of the work. I don’t think I will ever reach exorbitant numbers of listeners but if the people I admire are genuinely interested in my work and want to collaborate with me, then I feel very satisfied with my work. So when I ask myself: what drives people to listen to my music? The answer could lie in the content that is expressed through it, strongly linked to my identity and to the constant search for dialogue with others. I believe those who listen to me should feel included in a conversation.

Sometimes it happened that I stop believing in myslef and I tried to do something else. But even when I decided to give up on music, music never gave up on me, so eventually I started again.
Still, frustration is a daily issue to deal with, and I think I can speak for every musician, I always have the feeling I could do better. It’s important to have a daily practice routine, that helps to focus on one thing at the time.
When you start something by your own the most difficult thing is dealing with issues that requires years of work, sometimes decades. We always look at the road ahead but every now and then we also need to look at the road we have made, than we realize we’re still on the right path.

To say it with the words of Rainer Maria Rilke: “when you ask yourself if your art is good, keep in mind that Art is good if it was born out of necessity, in its origin lies its judgment.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely take them to Torrione Jazz Club in Ferrara. There are wonderful people there and the concert’s program is one of the best in Italy. The food as well is amazing.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to the jazz comunity I belong to. All my friends and collegues are spread around the world but we feel connected to each other and we can rely on a strong net of musicians.

Website: https://www.giuliabarba.net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/giulia.barba.saxophones/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@giuliabarba

Image Credits
Giulia Furlani, Giuseppe D’Arpino, Caterina Tandello, Federica Fazio, Michele Preziosi