Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn Enger.
Hi Carolyn, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Our ‘keyboard’ experience started when my parents gave us an electric piano/organ for Christmas. It was more of a toy and came with a booklet with colored notation for us to learn simple familiar songs. I took to it quickly, and my mother started me and my sister with piano lessons soon thereafter. I was 7 years old.
We attended a local music school in our town, Tenafly, NJ, where well-known organist Claire Coci established the American Academy of Music. I enjoyed my lessons very much and, at age 11, decided that I wanted to be a concert pianist.
Over many years of practicing, studying with various teachers, some better than others, and attending the Manhattan School of Music, I continue to pursue excellence with a rigorous discipline.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey has been mostly smooth. I tend to focus on things I am fortunate enough to experience rather than dwell on frustrations with the music business. I know there are many bigger problems in the world where I feel attention should be focused.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a professional pianist with performances throughout the United States and Europe. I specialize in focusing on the lyrical beauty in music. I use this lyrical beauty to find common threads between the traditional music from the canon with those of contemporary classical composers. One of my popular performance programs Lyricism Then & Now brings to light songful melodies found both in the music of familiar composers such as Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert, with new discoveries such as Ned Rorem, Caroline Shaw, and Fanny Mendelssohn.
I am motivated and inspired by trying to make a difference in this world by spotlighting wider societal problems. I want to leave the world a better place than I found it. In Hebrew, we call this attitude Tikkun Olam, “repairing the world.” The project I am most proud of, “The Mischlinge Exposé,” addresses issues of race, identity, and tolerance through a musical and personal lens. With this project, I am able to create active discussions that can make an impact.
I am set apart from other pianists by my ability to control extremely soft sounds. I pride myself on being able to play quiet, long lines that are incredibly sensitive and can bring the audience to reflect on their inner world. My playing style was a factor in being honored by The New York Times’ selection of my recording, “Ned Rorem: Album I,” as one of their Best in Classical Recordings.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success by my ability to touch and deeply move audience’s emotions. When there is a feeling of stillness in a performance, there is an unspoken dialogue that happens with the audience. Instead of an audience being a passive recipient, it becomes a group effort and true dialogue, a shared ‘creating.’ When I feel that in the room, I know the performance has been a success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carolynenger.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/carolynenger
- Facebook: facebook.com/carolynenger
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynenger/
- Twitter: twitter.com/carolynenger
- Youtube: youtube.com/carolynenger
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/carolynenger
