Chopin Salon @ Home: Dominic Muzzi
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Since the National Chopin Piano Competition is the Foundation’s flagship event, and since it only happens every five years, and because we were miraculously able to present the Competition in its entirety just prior to the onset of pandemic restrictions, we are fortunate have a wealth of recorded material to share with you online. This week, Executive Director Barbara Muze, caught up with Dominic Muzzi, a Florida native who is finishing up a doctoral program at Indiana University, was a semi-finalist at the 2020 National Chopin Competition, and as the first prize winner of the 2019 National finals of the Music Teachers National Association's Young Artist Competition, he performed for the Chopin Foundation’s Chopin for All concert series last November.
Perspective: The Competition Experience
So much has been written about music competitions - the good, the bad, and the ugly! And of course there is the famous quote by Béla Bartók: “Competitions are for horses, not artists.” Barbara Muze tends to agree. “I think all forms of artistic expression are by nature very subjective with personal taste accounting for so much. I believe it is important to provide an encouraging and nurturing environment where artists can be free to express their creativity. That said, I think you can achieve this kind of environment within the milieu of a competition and that is what we hoped to accomplish at this year’s National Chopin Piano Competition.” We asked Dominic Muzzi to reflect on his experience at this year’s Chopin Competition:
“The entire experience was externally so positive, everyone I had the chance to spend time with from the staff to the hosts to the audience members were supportive, hospitable, and kind. The instrument was beautiful, the recordings were of extremely high quality, and the other competitors I got to spend some time with were all wonderful company. Perhaps my singular favorite memory was during the finals when I and a few of the other competitors who had also been cut, decided to spend some time on Calle Ocho [a famous Miami neighborhood also called Little Havana] to get delicious Cuban food and coffee. We streamed the finals ceremony from a restaurant, if I recall correctly. There’s always a sporting quality in competitions (especially after elimination), and each of us had our own ranking of the finalists. What struck me was the overwhelmingly positive atmosphere of everyone’s opinion, and the sort of camaraderie that one feels with your fellow contestants. I think most of our competitive feelings are directed inwards rather than at each other. Personally, I am always fighting to play my best against my nerves and the situation- the other competitors are more or less a non-factor. If I felt that I played my best, it doesn’t really bother me if I’m out in the first round, because I’ve scored an internal victory. Furthermore, the more of these competitions I attend, the more I find that these events are like reunions, and there are very few these days where I don’t have old friends who are present.”
Please enjoy this exclusive video of Dominic’s entire quarter-final round from the 2020 Chopin Competition:
An Experience Unlike Any Other
The experience of preparing for, being selected and then participating in a major competition is as unique to every performer as their individual finger prints. An infinite number of factors come into play.
”This competition was not an internal victory for me at any juncture,“ said Muzzi. “I was completely overwhelmed from the semester’s challenges and really don’t think I played my best in any of the rounds, which is not to imply that if I had the result would have been different. I’m extremely grateful (though surprised) that I made it as far as the semi-finals, and vowed to be much more deliberate and calculating this year about which repertoire I decided to take on and by when I felt that it should be ready for the concert stage. In this way, the competition was a valuable learning experience. In the two months before the competition, I had performed two different concerti with professional orchestras (one week apart, and my first time in that setting as featured soloist), given substantial recitals with no Chopin on the menu, and was preparing two entirely different full-length violin recitals with works by Beethoven, Brahms, Szymanowski, and Strauss. Some of the pieces I programmed (and this is embarrassing to admit, a capital offense as far as competitions go) had never seen the stage before the competition. Some of these were on the better side of my performance capacity, some were not. I won’t be making the mistake of taking on too much and then being forced to bring entirely fresh works to a major opportunity like the National Chopin Competition again.”
Dominic’s performance of the Scriabin Sonata No. 5, Op. 53 was recorded last year at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music:
Lessons from the Masters
The Chopin Foundation would simply not be able to fulfill its mission without the amazing work of countless numbers of piano teachers who selflessly provide young, talented musicians with lessons that last a lifetime. We asked Dominic to talk about some of the masters who have helped to shape his artistry:
“I should credit my four major teachers, which I’ll do chronologically. GayLyn Capitano, my teacher from 2008-2012 (pre-college) for introducing me to aural skills and music theory, getting me into my first competitions, and successfully preparing me for college auditions. My undergraduate teacher, Dr. Read Gainsford at The Florida State University, who not only taught me the definition of world-class pianism, but planted the seeds necessary to strive for its achievement. I credit him for shaping the majority of my musical taste, technique, and for molding me into a viable professional. His insight and wisdom are with me every time I sit at the piano, and I’ll be pondering my many lessons with him, both professional and personal, for the rest of my life. My teacher during my master’s degree, the now deceased but still legendary Dr. Karen Shaw, whose hands-off approach caused me to deeply examine what it meant to have a personal voice and what I wanted to use that voice to communicate. The further I get from my study with her the more I feel that, though frustrating at times, our short time together had a profound impact on my artistic message. My current professor, Roberto Plano, with whom I’ve been studying since the fall of 2018, has been the most active and supportive influence on turning my gaze towards a performing career. His confidence in my ability has been unwavering, his persistence in pushing me to compete and apply for every opportunity has resulted in leaps and bounds of progress as a musician and professional, and I’m confident I would not hold the awards or skill set I have acquired without him. His musical taste is beautiful, his pianistic tricks are dependable, and his standards are astronomical. It was one of the greatest strokes of luck in my entire life that he was hired at IU when I needed a teacher.”
Dominic also wanted to recognize two additional masters with whom he has studied:
“Jon Nakamatsu, for his wise approach to life and music. I strive to emulate his balanced perspective. I still vividly remember his performance of Brahms’ 3rd sonata and am reminded of how powerfully communicative refined playing can be.
Alexander Gavrylyuk, for his imagination, passion, and contagious love for music. I will never not be somehow affected by his commitment to artistic truth.”
Our final video for this week’s episode features a recording of Notturno by Respighi who’s early works are said to show Chopin’s influence:
A Musician’s Life in the time of COVID-19
One of the things we enjoy about putting together these bi-weekly episodes is getting to know more “personal” information about the pianists. For example, we asked Dominic how he has been spending his time during the months-long pandemic:
”I learned how to tune my piano! Still haven’t broken a string tuning, only practicing. Action regulation is next on the list. I think it will either drive me completely crazy or entertain my brain’s craving for details. Either way, however, I will save money in the long term.
I also stress-bought many cooking supplies including my first stainless steel pan and replaced my awful box set chef’s knife with a decent Zwilling. I spent many evenings trying to learn recipes, some of which were quite successful. Can you believe I didn’t know how to poach an egg until this last summer? Embarrassing.”
And to end with a fun fact - we learned that Dominic is “obsessed” with the Shiba Inu dog breed. You might even catch him wearing one emblazoned on his T-shirt!
Thank you for joining us for the Chopin Salons @ Home.
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Chopin Foundation programs are made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; and the City of Coral Gables. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Funding Arts Broward; the Miami Salon Group; and scores of generous donors.