After one of our chamber music rehearsals, I had a chance to sit down and chat with two Cornell Freshmen: Aditya Deshpande and IHS alumnus David Sheng ‘18. Aditya, who is majoring in Computer Science, recently performed Franz Liszt’s First Piano Concerto with the Cornell Symphony Orchestra after his impressive finish in the Cornell Concerto Competition. We touched on Aditya’s musical experiences and David’s and Aditya’s takes on some musical objectives, as well as some other aspects of studying at Cornell, the destination of many IHS seniors next year.
Jefferson Sheng: While it’s still fresh, what was it like playing and working with Maestro Slywotzky in Bailey Hall?
Aditya Deshpande: In my view, having worked with other orchestras in the past, I think Maestro Slywotzky had a great understanding, of course, of how to control the orchestra. I think the process of having multiple rehearsals allowed us to try out different interpretations of various sections of the piece, which gave me a lot of freedom in choosing how the final product [was] going to sound. That’s partially due to the number of rehearsals, but also due to the flexibility of Maestro Slywotzky, which was a great benefit to me for the final performance.
JS: With the number of rehearsals, especially with the CSO before the performance of the Liszt, how did you find yourself balancing music with academics during those rehearsals, or just in general?
AD: I try to always keep my academics [a] priority, for the most part . . . I think when one practices, at least when one has time, they have to focus on specific sections to work on. Basically, one has to raise their focus on one specific thing to make it work. David Sheng: Laser focus.
AD: Yeah, I think any time you go [practice], at least when you are trying to focus on academics and practice at the same time, one has to go in with a goal before one starts to practice . . . what that means is that one has to think about the piece away from the piano (or any other instrument) and have some mental conception about specific ideas or interpretations before starting.
JS: What do you think has been the most significant factor in enabling you to enjoy music over the years and not stop playing?
AD: I think one of the main factors definitely involved my parents, who tried to find the best teachers wherever I was living. I also think, for myself, music is like eating and breathing; something I have to do. I can’t go through life without playing the piano, listening, or any of that, so to stop playing is not an option for me.
JS: Have academics ever hindered your musical development?
AD: I think they develop in conjunction with each other; they’re not meant to be a detriment to the other. I do think a lot about music, in general, as far as improving myself and what I think I need to work on personally. That’s something that comes really fluidly, but I don’t think academics have ever hindered my development of the music. It does come in the way of having time to practice, for sure, but I don’t think one or the other has ever negatively impacted the other
DS: Do you have a set schedule for practicing?
AD: No, but when I do practice I have a general idea of what I want to get done. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. I also spend a lot of time during practice sessions just improvising. Also, I take breaks for more extended practice sessions because I almost injured my hands a few weeks ago from over-practicing. I think when one plays a lot, one also has to make sure [they are] not tense.
DS: Do you have a schedule set for every day?
AD: For the most part, I don’t have a set schedule; I adapt to each day.
DS: When you get a new piece, what’s the first thing you do?
AD: For me, when I get a piece, I usually can’t wait to get my hands on it, so I have a tendency to just sight-read and hear what it sounds like when I get through it, and then I go back and go through processes of refinement.
DS: That’s not that bad; I get annoyed with people learning from recordings. Like, why not just talk to God himself when you can. Why learn a piece from someone else when you can look through the score yourself?
JS: For someone who is in high school considering the college application process, do you think music has made you a better student, and perhaps a better college applicant when you did your applications last year?
AD: From what I’ve gathered from the college application process, and of course this sounds like a bureaucratic sort of thing . . . I think they do appreciate strong extracurriculars. I think the piano helps me in that sense, but learning music and playing the piano all builds one’s mind in other ways as well, because learning new pieces does involve a lot of problem-solving, mentally and physically, for sure. One develops methods for approaching, say, challenging sections of pieces, and how to break them down and finally put them together, which translates to other disciplines in life. So I think neurally somewhere, it does have an impact.
JS: I know you guys are not done with your first year yet, but what are some pieces of advice you would give to upcoming Cornell freshmen in their first few months at Cornell?
DS: Eat, sleep, don’t give up on eating; don’t stop eating. I’m serious.
AD: I think one piece of advice is to never feel that you don’t deserve to be here, because after all, you were chosen after quite a lengthy admissions process.
You can view Aditya’s performance of the Liszt at livestream.com/CornellCast/events/8591761. You can catch Aditya’s future studio recitals and chamber concerts at Cornell’s Barnes Hall.