Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Martín Álvarez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Martín , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

As a freelancer artist, creativity is not only your main working tool but also what motivates you every day to wake up and develop new programs. That means that every project contains an important part of myself, something that is valuable in a personal level and that represents a challenge or a goal to accomplish. My philosophy behind music and art is that it should be accessible for everyone and that is the beginning of a conversation between people. Sometimes they share the same codes or background but occasionally is music the bridge between diverse listeners that would not share a space in another context.
As I speak, two of the programs that I developped address this ideal and explore it further in different directions. The first one is called “Connection Concert”, together with the soprano Quirine Melssen. It has a specific audience group: refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants together with local people. Through a series of self composed songs we talk about the meaning of home, friendship and memory from different perspectives. The emotion shown in their eyes and their gratitude when they find that free space to share and celebrate their feelings is one of the most rewarding experiences I ever had as a performance artist.
The second project is called “Around the colourwheel”, where I play as the cellist of the Loksias String Quartet. It is an interactive concert where the audience decides the order of the pieces we play and they have to vote associating a particular colour to the performed music. In this way, the attention of the public is increased and we make it more accessible for everyone by making it democratic.
It is the perfect combination of innovative, classical and attractive to a wider segment of audience and this challenge could not be more rewarding already!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Martín Álvarez Díaz, I am a classical musician and I play cello as a freelancer. I come from a family where music always played an important role, with two pianists at home and an older brother that studied elementary violin. Probably that is the main reason why I asked Santa for a violoncello when I was only 4. Since then I have been practicing my instrument almost every day under the guidance of important teachers and maestros in solo performance but also in chamber music and orchestra. Classical music is a very difficult discipline for professionals – as the other arts, we are in this together – and the concurrence level is getting higher and higher. My parents and my teachers always told me that what they praised the most about my performances was my creativity and expression. So I decided that after finishing my Master studies I should not follow the path that all my colleagues desired but dare to develop my own shows and performances.
It is never easy when you start but regardless of how big your audience might be, showing your true self on a stage is always respected and takes attention, so after a couple of negative answers I got my first admissions in the festival circuit, as well as the possibility to perform in important theatres at a regional level.
All my shows have something in common: they do not adjust to the conventional concert format but they offer something else to the audience. Sometimes from an interactive perspective, where they participate. Sometimes with the addition of colors or visual elements. Often with poetry or literature that they can link with the music… In the last two years, 8 different programs have been shared with the public in over 30 concerts.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Many friends and family members look often to my schedules and wonder how I can be that busy if my upcoming concert is only in some day’s time. Others ask why I spend time with the computer when I should just be practicing my instrument. The answer is that a successful performing artist should find balance between the practice part and the business part. That includes sending emails, calling artistic directors, arranging trips or tours, designing posters, launching a social media advertisement… This is the cause of our changing schedules, our extra activity in the evening or the inability to predict our holiday months in advance. We have got used to this and we would ask you to support us also by understanding the perks of being a creative artist.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Art is not only for an elite or for people that have studied it professionally. On the other hand, it is part of our society and it should be celebrated in the same way as we do with our eating culture or the tourism industry. Apart from the official and important cultural halls of our communities, there is a big empty space where new talents can perform or there can be space for experimentation and trying out ideas. Government funding is essential for the sector’s survival but everybody can contribute by sharing our music, listening to our concerts and joining our little artistic communities.  

Contact Info:

• Website: linktr.ee/MartinAlvarezCello
• Instagram: @martinalvarezcello
• Linkedin: Martín Álvarez
• Youtube: @MartinAlvarezCello

Image Credits
Maria Nikolic Phoebe Rousochatzaki