We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marina Machado a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Marina, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I’ve taken part of has to be my work with Volta Music Foundation.
We have all heard a million times how powerful music is, how it allows us to express ourselves, and how it can change lives; but it is one thing to hear it and a very different thing to experience it.

I started playing piano when I was six years old, and I don’t think I ever imagined at that time what music would mean to me today. When I was growing up, music was a part of my daily life, as was reading a book or doing my math homework. Once I finished high school I decided I wanted to pursue a career in music, so I went to school and earned my Bachelor’s in Piano Performance. I then started teaching, which gave me the opportunity to share what I had been learning for the past 15 years with young students and, maybe, open doors for them that they never thought of.
Later on, I came to the States and earned my Master’s in Collaborative Piano. It was then that I learned about Volta Music Foundation, and what it was doing for the community.

Volta Music Foundation provides music education and performance opportunities to students in underserved communities. It strives to create a powerful and united community through music. It was the perfect opportunity for me to use what I had learned and work for the greater good.

Nowadays I work as the Education Program Manager at Volta Music Foundation, and I am proudly convinced that music does change lives. From the very first time that students see, hear or play an instrument, to the first time that they perform before an audience, one can see how music grows in them, and how they grow with music. And the power is not only in the music itself, but in the community the students create around it. They find support, communication, expression, creativity, challenges, satisfaction… and a million more things, all thanks to the sound that comes from a violin.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born in Madrid, Spain on a rainy November night… Sounds like the beginning of a great story, right?
I have always looked for that something that brings me fulfillment. Some refer to it as passion, some call it their purpose in life, or their vocation. I was convinced that there was something out there that I could call my passion. Little did I know…
Music came into my life when I was three years old; my mom signed me up for violin lessons at the local music academy and the rest is history. I have to applaud her, not only for being willing to live with a beginner violin student, but to sit with me during practice sessions and lessons. Those who have heard one know what I’m talking about.
A couple years later the piano came into the game, and it took the place of the violin. I don’t think my mom ever thought that signing me up for music lessons was going to take me across the pond to where I am today.
I’ve performed in halls in Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, and the US, opening International Piano Competitions and premiering works from living composers, including commissioned piano quintet “Dákrya” by Irene Cantos in 2023. I’ve won competitions collaborating with different instrumentalists, such as the National Society of Arts & Letters Collaborative Piano and Brass Duo Competition, and the John Oliveira String Competition. During my time in Spain I was also very involved in the chamber music world, being a founding member of the Aidoni Piano Trio, which performed all around the country.
All those experiences have given me the opportunity to understand that music is much more than what it seems. And one doesn’t necessarily have to take it to the highest professional level to get all that it has to offer. It took me a few years to realize that, but I finally got here, and my goal is to bring it to as many people as I can.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn that performing at the highest level is not the only way music can be present in my life. During my undergraduate studies I was convinced that the only way I could have a career in music was in the performing field. It makes sense because that’s what those four years prepare you to do, but as the years went by I realized that’s not completely true. There are a million pathways in the music world, I just had to find the one that resonated with me and that allows me to do something I enjoy doing every day.

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

I strive to bring music to as many people as possible. It can be really hard to get started in music, and there are a lot of people out there that might be missing what music has to offer simply because they are not being given the opportunity to explore it. When you open that door with them you might be doing more than just that; you might be unraveling a whole career choice and all that that brings with it. Especially in young children, the more things they are exposed to, the more experiences they will have to accompany them for the rest of their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://marinamachadopianist.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: @marinamachadogonzalez
• Facebook: Marina Machado Gonzalez