We were lucky to catch up with Christina Ebersohl-Van Scyoc recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I am currently working on a two-part project, combining my love of musicology research, musical performance, and collaboration. I am interviewing Egyptian Art musicians—specifically composers and performers—currently and recently active in Egypt to create a written and published compendium of Egyptian Art Musicians representing the three generations spanning 1930’s to today. Additionally, an exciting artistic performance collaboration with Egyptian pianist, Seif El Din Sherif, is in the works; we will perform a series of concerts in Cairo and Alexandria, as well as his alma mater in Switzerland that model the integration of Egyptian Art and Western classical music. The final concert will take place at my home institution: the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. We are excited to introduce Western audiences to several notable Egyptian composers, such as Abu Bakr Khairat, Sherif Mohie Eldin, Gamal Abdel-Rahim, and Attia Sharara. In addition to the musical collaborations and concerts with pianist Seif El Din Sherif, we are working with institutions such as the Cairo Conservatoire, and non-profit leaders, such as Joseph Alfred—founder of the non-profit organization CANTOS A Capella Choir and Orchestra in Alexandria—to volunteer outreach and masterclasses for students and community members. Several organizations have invited to perform outside of my concert series. And upon returning to the US and completion of the compendium, I will record my first CD for professional release. I will include the Western premiere of Attia Sharara’s Egyptian Concerto no.2.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began studying music privately at the age of 8, beginning with the piano. Throughout middle and high school, I continued my classical piano studies, as well as developing interest and efficiency on nearly a dozen other instruments in concert band, jazz band, and marching band. With the inclusion of Honors Choir and Jazz Choir, I spent my formative years engulfed in the study of music. Unusually, I bought my first viola three months after I was Honorably Discharged from the Army. I immediately began lessons and took to the instrument like it was a part of me. From 2012 until today, I have focused solely on the viola. I graduated with honors in my Bachelors, Masters, and my Performance Certificate, and am now pursuing my Doctorate in Viola Performance and Literature at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. I serve as the Editor for the Journal of the American Viola Society and am a sought-after performer, lecturer, and scholar in my field. My love of collaboration and Middle Eastern Art music also developed in an unusual place. In 2010, I enlisted in the US Army as an Arabic Linguist. My enlistment days were spent at the Defensive Language Institute where I spent 8 hours a day training in the language with native speakers. One of the professors—Medhat—was an older Egyptian man, with a gruff voice and a big belly laugh. To us, he was Grandpa Medhat. Taking a particular liking to me when he learned of my musical background, Medhat would seek me out during breaks and together we would listen to Egyptian music—iconic singers from his childhood, traditional ensembles he would hear at parties, and Egyptian Art music that he wanted his kids to learn. As a Western classical violist, I became enthralled by the vibrant world of Egyptian Art music, the sound of vivid poetry in motion. Sadly, I had to part ways with Medhat and his musical guidance in 2012 when I rapidly began losing my eyesight and was Honorably Discharged; in 2015, I was declared legally blind, but the sounds of the Egyptian orchestras echoing in those empty classrooms remains a favorite memory of mine to this day.
My love of music is unwavering—even during my military service years—and it had always been my intention to return to the practice and performance of music. I just never imagined I would return to music a completely different individual: older than many peers, blind, and with a fascination for a genre of music unbeknownst to most. But my unique path has created some of the most exciting and meaningful moments in my life, and has uniquely shaped how I approach performance, collaboration, teaching, and life in general.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

As a blind musician, what I hear most often from non-creatives is the same question: why don’t you just learn music by ear? There seems to be some considerable stereotype about blindness that still permeates our society, especially when it comes to ability and talent. First and foremost: remember that blindness is a range. Much like all other disabilities, blindness can range from severe reduction in certain aspects of sight—such as peripheral vision or central vision—or total and complete darkness—a rare occurrence in the blindness community, in fact.
The second important stereotype to address is the idea that, upon losing your sight, or another sense, your other senses automatically react and become more sensitive. This is absolutely false. Upon losing my sight, it took months and years to train my hearing and my kinesthetic touch to recognize specific sounds, to become more sensitive, and to become a reliable addition to my daily life. This means that being blind doesn’t give you superpowers, sadly. I did not immediately develop perfect pitch (in fact, I still don’t have perfect pitch and I likely never will).
And lastly, this all ties into the question that I hear most often: why don’t you just learn music by ear? It is important to remember that every single composition is like a painting. It has minute details and textures and colors that musicians all attempt to interpret. Particularly with music from the older centuries, all we have is the score, so we must rely solely on our instincts. This means music is subjective. Listen to Hillary Hahn play Bach, then listen to Itzhak Perlman play Bach. You’ll find there are plenty of unique differences between the two. So if I were to only learn by ear listening to recordings, not only would I likely miss some of the minute details in passing, but I would be inevitably swayed by someone else’s decisions, be them wrong or right or even what I would choose. I think it is much more important to be able to study the score myself and determine for myself what I think is right and what I believe should be the colors of the music. That is one of the most beautiful aspects of the performing arts!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew about libraries!

Libraries are such an amazing resource, and while we all know about them, many of us do not use them to their full potential. For example, the Library of Congress has the largest Braille music score collection in the world. And it is available for rent to US citizens with visual impairments and their educational institutions. Additionally, librarians are such amazing and resourceful people. I have often reached out to my Assistant Editor, Lanson Wells—at the American Viola Society—who is a music librarian by trade for grammatical tips, unusual research questions, and odd formatting problems. He has even emailed librarians around the world to track down hard-to-find books and scores for me!
Not only are they a safe and quiet study space, but they are also full of people who are eager and more than capable to help do amazing things. Their search engines, when used correctly, can also help you track down some of the most unusual and difficult to find resources from around the world. I recommend libraries and librarians to all my friends—creatives or not—as they can be beneficial for all.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.christinaebersohl.com
• Instagram: @christinaebersohl_viola
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinaebersohlviola
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/christina-ebersohl-van-scyoc
• Youtube: @christinaebersohl_viola

Image Credits
Peggy Iileen Johnson