We were lucky to catch up with Dani Macher recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dani, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

In the classical music world specifically, I’ve always felt an extreme pressure to get the most done in the shortest amount of time. I think there’s an idea in classical music that younger people have more advantages in learning and are better musicians because if it. Personally, I didn’t start playing viola until I was 14 years old, which is considered extremely late. I’m 22 years old now so that’s 8 years of playing, which itself is considered quite short when you compare me to a musician my age who’s been playing since they were 5 or 6 years old. I did often wish that I began my musical journey earlier, but there were several factors that prevented this from happening. Firstly, classical music is a rather elitist institution, and I know many musicians will argue that it isn’t but the main point is that that’s how it’s perceived. For the longest time — and even now — I didn’t think that a career in classical music was feasible for me, or rather for someone like me, someone who isn’t cishet or white or rich. Secondly, I didn’t attend a school that had a classical music program, which only contributed to its obscurity and unattainableness. I was in band and choir for a few years (I played alto saxophone), as was my older brother who played trombone, so I did have some very surface-level early music education. But generally classical musical programs were reserved for schools in better districts and richer neighborhoods who got more funding. Third, the expenses of instruments and lessons were another barrier. And finally I just didn’t want to be a classical musician. I had and still have a lot of dreams and goals that don’t involve classical music and the more I sit with that the more grateful I am that I didn’t start earlier. I think that despite what people within the industry say, there are so many advantages to learning an instrument and deciding on a career in classical music as an older child or teenager, or even as a young adult. I’m here because I wanna be here and I’ve been working hard to get here by my own accord. I’m not being forced by my parents into a career that I’ll eventually hate. I chose to do this and I’m glad that I was able to experience a childhood of open possibilities and no pressure to commit to one thing. I also have more experience outside of music, which I think actually makes me a better musician. I went to college, I have an AA in Anthropology, I’ve experienced and learned a lot and I’ve developed critical thinking skills and knowledge about various topics. I don’t think I would’ve been able to do that if I had dedicated my entire life from childhood on to JUST classical music. I wouldn’t be the person I am today and I’m very proud of that person I am now. I was also able to explore and experiment with different instruments throughout my life like violin and piano and electric guitar, along with different genres of music. I used to dwell on thoughts of how much higher my chances of success could’ve been if I started playing viola sooner, but now I feel so grateful that I have a unique perspective on things. One of my inspirations is Daniel Kurganov, who began learning violin at 16 years old. He talks a lot about how grateful he is to have experimented with different instruments and genres, and to have found classical music and the violin on his own time, at an age when he could begin to think for himself. And I’ll always remember this quote from him: “Our varied passions stem from and converge on the same place. Nothing is wasted.”

Dani, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Every time I’m asked to summarize who I am it gets harder and harder to answer. I think a lot about who I am and what specifically makes me who I am. To keep things short, I’m a 22 year old queer German and latinx digital artist and classical musician. Art-wise I think I’m most known online for making digital paintings of various foods and David Bowie. I’m actually drawing yet another David Bowie portrait right now which is kind of funny but he’s just such an important part of my life, but I don’t wanna go into too much detail about that right now because then I’ll literally never stop writing. As a classical musician I play viola and study under Assistant Principal violist of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and Juilliard alumnus Aekyung Kim. I also play violin, piano, and electric guitar but that’s not super relevant to my classical music career, I mainly play those for fun which I think is actually important because classical music can be very mentally draining.
I’ve been drawing since I was 4 years old and I transitioned to digital art around 2017. I’ve had a less straightforward musical journey because first I played alto saxophone in band in elementary school, and I was in choir in middle school. Then when I was 12 years old I wanted to start learning the piano but at the age of 14 I chose to learn viola as well. However, for a number of reasons I took a break from music for several years and got an AA in Anthropology, and I didn’t decide to pursue music as a career again until I was 19.
I think I’m most proud of my determination. I might not always be particularly consistent in my art and music but I am persistent, and I hope that others can see that as a valuable trait as much as I do. And I think what sets me apart from others the most is my willingness and fearlessness to voice my opinions. I like to use my platforms online to express my views and to uplift and support the voices of marginalized people, even though a lot of people and institutions don’t like that, particularly the ever-conservative classical music business. But I do hope that there are people out there who appreciate what I post and the things I say, and clearly they do since I’m writing yet another article, and that’s very rewarding.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I feel like my entire art and music journey is an example of resilience. There are just too many stories to tell but basically I’ve been rejected and overlooked so many times and I still haven’t given up. For example, earlier this year I auditioned for an orchestra and I did not get in but I’m still proud of the work that I put in, and I’m motivated to continue to work even harder. I feel like you have to be a very resilient person to thrive in classical music. There’s so much competition and you have to be able to take criticism and really hold yourself to high standards, not just for other people but also for yourself so that you can become the very best musician that you can be. Pursuing a career in classical music at my age is also an example of resilience, in my view. Like I discussed earlier, there’s a lot of favoritism given for younger musicians and there’s this long-held belief that if you’re over a certain age you should just give up completely. It even took me some time to find a teacher who would accept me and actually take me seriously as a musician. I’m very grateful for my current teacher because she believes in me and roots for my success and pushes me to be great. Similarly, I’ve felt dejected in the art world, mainly because I’ve seen little growth in my online presence. It’s so difficult nowadays given how many other artists have successful online presences, not to mention the uptick in AI made “art.” Despite this, I continue to create for my own enjoyment and improve my skills and hope that people are willing to share my work and support me.
Things are also made harder by me being neurodivergent and chronically ill. I struggle physically and mentally almost every single day, but me trying my hardest and staying persistent is another show of my resilience.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I’ve reevaluated my reasons for making music and art so many times over the past several years. I used to think that there was only one path to success but the older I get the more I realize that that’s not true. There isn’t one specific goal that drives my creative journey, I think rather it’s a culmination of things. I want to create for my own joy and fulfillment, which is probably why I draw David Bowie the most. I like to focus most of my energy on things that appeal to me even if they’re not considered popular or career-defining. I want to make myself proud and with music I also want to make my teacher proud. She’s been working so hard to get me this point and I want to be able to show for it. Like I wrote above, I also want to use my platform — even though it’s small — to support and uplift all marginalized people and communities, especially given what’s been happening in Palestine. A lot of people are afraid of doing that out of fear of being ostracized and denied opportunities but it’s extremely vital for me to do what’s right. I know several musicians and artists and creatives who’ve been threatened and intimidated and even fired for speaking out against genocide and that’s just horrible. But I always remind myself of what English guitarist and singer-songwriter Marc Bolan said in a 1971 interview: “You gotta work with good people. Work with good people who value you and your ideas.” His words stuck with me more than anything and they feel so relevant right now. I want to work with truly good people. I want to support my friends and marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ+ community that I’m a part of, and I believe that by continuing my creative journey I’ll be able to find success — whatever that will look like— and hopefully make a real impact in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://folio.procreate.com/idm_artist
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/idm_violist?igshid=MWhoMWx2OGxkenBzcQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Other: https://instagram.com/idm_artist?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr