It is Sunday as I write this, before the big football games have started. The most inspiring moment of my day so far, besides the beautiful sunshine, blue sky, and snow, was a piece on one of my favorite shows, Sunday Morning. It was the story of Simone Dinnerstein, classical pianist; a great story on its own, but also a wonderful example of how inspiration plays a huge part in creating a meaningful life.
Here’s a summary.
Dinnerstein started piano lessons at age 7 and was eventually accepted into the Manhattan School of Music pre-college program and then Juilliard. At age 13, she was inspired by Glenn Gould’s version of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, She says,
“I was at a friend’s house, and he put that recording on and it just stopped me in my tracks. I couldn’t believe how great it was.”
As a teenager, she took a trip to London for an audition, where she met her future husband. They had a shared love for Glenn Gould’s work, particularly the Goldberg Variations. At 18, she dropped out of Juilliard to return to London to study under Maria Curcio. Returning to Juilliard in her 20’s to finish school, she also married. Although she had always shown great promise, career prospects were few. She was not being accepted into festivals she had auditioned for, and so turned to teaching piano and performing local concerts.
At age 30, while pregnant with her son, Dinnerstein decided to really master Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Although she idolized Gould’s work on this piece, he touched a place deep inside that allowed her to create an interpretation uniquely her own. Now, she was ready to record and, rather than finding a record producer, she raised $15,000 from family and friends to produce the record herself. Continuing on this unconventional path, she also found someone to finance a concert at Carnegie Hall to introduce the record. Word of the record had leaked out on the Internet and the show sold out. This was in November of 2005.
A music critic from that show, David Patrick Stearns from the Philadelphia Inquirer, said of Dinnerstein’s performance,
“Her Goldbergs really take you on a journey, and it’s an emotional journey. The most important thing is she takes you on her journey. It’s all hers.”
Stearns sent her recording to Telarc, a major record label, and it was released in August of 2007. Since then, Ms. Dinnerstein’s career has taken off. Her album went to #1 on Amazon’s music charts (not just for classical recordings) and she has been recording and touring ever since. Another live album a year later also topped the charts and she has a new album of Bach released last week.
Moral of the story? Pay attention to what inspires you. What could it be calling you to bring up in yourself?
Related Links
Simone Dinnerstein’s Website