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

Pauline, appreciate you joining us 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 worked on is “Nuevas Musicas para vibrafono y electronica.” It’s an album that I commissioned as a performer through an argentine grant of four pieces for vibraphone and electronics. Due to the pandemic, the project was not able to present itself when I was still living in Argentina (lockdown was still in session during 2021). Now that I’m living in NYC and I’m about to finish my Master’s Degree, I am proud to present these pieces by the talented composers Evelyn Frosini, Facundo Negri, Esteban Insinger and one piece of my own.

These pieces are also what I presented to get into the Master’s Degree, and most recently have earned me a selection of the student to perform at the Parsons School of Design Benefit. So to me, this project is a matter of cultural pride, the musical ideas I bring from my backround and how it’s already opening new paths for my future.

Pauline, 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?

I am in essence a classical percussionist gone rogue.

I have an undergraduate degree in classical percussion performance from the National University of Arts of Buenos Aires, Argentina (my hometown), and I’m finishing my Master’s Degree at the New School in MM Performer-Composer Program. I’ve performed and recorded several albums and concerts but am now focusing on my solo career. These experiences have helped me become the artist I truly want to be: A (mainly) Vibraphonist, Drummer and Vocalist who performs living composers work, and compositions of her own. This can happen in a solo setting or with other amazing performer-composers on stage. My ultimate goal is to create an intersection of a singer-songriter that plays percussion with the classical concept of a New Music performer that can play all kinds of musical genres. I consider myself an experimental artist because I don’t want to limit any kind of music making. However, I want to clarify that I like using all of my knowledge in service of making music that is accessible to everyone- not the kind of music that you need to know about to understand.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is also sometimes it’s biggest flaw: There is no set path for you. You can go to school like everyone else and there is no specific job description or career that you can get with a music degree. You have to make it yourself.

Creative Freedom is not as simple to manage, because it requires an enormous amount of responsability and honesty twards yourself. But if we can choose to be brave, and plant the right seeds, the rewards of seeing the life you envisioned unfold is like nothing else.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to pivot when I started thinking about moving to the U.S. and pursue a Graduate Degree. I was confined to the thought that if my undergraduate degree had been in classical percussion, then I wouldn’t be able to pursue any other kind of music than classical percussion. Even thought this was the expectation, I knew this was not the path for me.

It took an enormous amount of courage to apply to two jazz programs (some of the best of the world) and two Performer-Composer programs. The results were incredible: I got into three out of four programs (and in the fourth one I got to the final round). This taught me that most times it is nothing but ourselves that limits our potential; and that we should always try that crazy idea that no one really understands if that’s what you know is right.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @paulinerobertsmusica
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@paulialana

Image Credits
Julieta Iricibar – Carlos Furman