Alumni Interview with Hanneke Cassel

	"...Hands DOWN my favorite part is playing the fiddle in front of an audience that is really into it." – Hanneke Cassel
	Name: Hanneke Cassel Major at Berklee: Performance Graduation Date: May 2000 Professional Title: Fiddle Player (Performing Musician) Employer: Self-employed City: Boston State: MA

What are the major achievements of your career to date?

Recording and releasing my solo album, and my subsequent sold-out CD release concert at Johnny D's Music Club in Somerville were fairly major accomplishments. I started playing fiddle with a great Irish singer, Cathie Ryan (formerly of Irish band Cherish the Ladies), two years ago. With her, I've had the opportunities to perform at the Lincoln Center in NY, and at other venues all across the country. I've taught and performed in Scotland...at the same camp that I went to when I was younger just starting Scottish fiddle. I've performed to thousands of people at folk festivals on both coasts of the U.S., and one of my most exciting achievements was recording with fellow Berklee-grad Casey Driessen on Darol Anger's "Diary of a Fiddler" album. Fiddling great Darol Anger used to be a member of the Turtle Island String Quartet, and on this album he does duets with most of my fiddle heroes.

What made you decide to pursue performance as a career?

I started playing fiddle music when I was eleven (11) and I had a very inspiring teacher, Carol Ann Wheeler, who performed regularly in the folk community. A few years later I saw three great fiddlers, Alasdair Fraser, Buddy MacMaster, and Natalie MacMaster play, and I was moved by their incredible musicianship and performances. The impressions that my teacher and these fiddlers made turned my life around (I wanted to be a teacher then). I decided that some day I wanted to entertain, thrill, and move people with my music the way these musicians did.

What is a normal day like in your line of work (assuming there is such a thing as a normal day)?

I have two different kinds of "normal days": Days when I'm home and days when I'm on tour.

At home my morning usually starts around 11:00 a.m. I spend the morning hours on the phone/e-mail trying to arrange gigs and rehearsals. In addition to trying to promote my own solo career, I play with a singer who tours regularly and another band that is just starting to tour. These three aspects of my performing life are fairly exclusive from one another, so keeping on top of what's going on with each keeps me fairly busy. I also spend a good chunk of my time trying to promote my CD. The CD is self-produced, so I have to contact distribution companies, (retail) stores, radio stations, etc. to get it out there. I teach one to two students every afternoon during the week. I usually end up having a couple of gigs on weeknights, and gigs most weekends. These local gigs are usually at pubs, dances, and private functions.

So the other kind of "normal day" is the one on the road. Most of my experience on tour is with Irish singer Cathie Ryan. I play fiddle in her 4-piece band and we've spent a good part of this year touring the United States. A normal day on tour consists of getting into a van in the morning, driving to the gig, checking into a hotel, going to the venue and sound checking, then kind of hanging out until the concert starts. We're usually done with the show by 11:00.

What are some of the skills that you are called upon to use daily in your work?

The obvious skill that you need to be a performing musician is dexterity on your instrument and the ability to play in front of people in an engaging and charismatic manner. However, I have learned (frustratingly at times) that just being a good musician doesn't cut it in this field. You also have to have good business skills—you need to be organized and good at keeping records, you have to know how to keep track of income/expenses, and you either have to know how to do your taxes, or you have to find a good accountant (I have chosen the latter!). Most importantly, you need to know how to deal with people...musicians often have challenging personalities. A big part of being a professional performing musician involves relating to audiences, bookers, bandmates, and agents in such way that you both get what you want.

What is your favorite part of the job?

Hands DOWN my favorite part is playing the fiddle in front of an audience that is really into it.

What are some of the personal rewards that have come with your job or career?

One of the best things that come with this job is meeting other new people. I have had the opportunities to listen to and play with some of the most amazing musicians. I've had a few exciting "famous people" meetings too. I got to play with Joey McIntyre (from New Kids on the Block) at Boston's Hatch Shell and I opened for Judy Collins at Boston Symphony Hall. And SOMEDAY I'm going to play with Bono and U2 (my dream)!!

What are some of the more challenging aspects of your job and/or career?

Probably the biggest challenge I face is remaining self-motivated and diligently pursuing playing opportunities. There are a lot of responsibilities with being a self-employed musician. You have to constantly be thinking of self-promotion, and actually carry out your ideas and visions.

And as I've already mentioned, dealing with your peers--your fellow musicians--can be very challenging at times. Every musician has a very clear idea of how music is to be played, performed, arranged, etc. and there's a constant give-and-take thing that has to happen.

What do you think are the requisites for someone entering this field?

You have to be good at playing your instrument. Once you become a performer, crazy circumstances always occur, and you have to be comfortable enough that you can wing it if need be. You have to have enough technical proficiency that you can work your way out of "mistakes" and never let the audience know that anything was wrong. I'd say you should also have experience playing with other people. Playing by yourself or with CDs can only take you so far. You have to learn how to relate to others as you're playing.

How did your education at Berklee prepare you for what you are doing today?

Berklee gave me a chance to practice my instrument more than I ever had before. For the first time in my life I was surrounded by peers who "had to practice" just like me, before partying! I had some really amazing private teachers. I actually didn't study Celtic music (the kind of music I perform) at Berklee. Instead I was encouraged to broaden my horizons and improve my overall technical and musical capacities by studying styles that were rather foreign to me, namely classical and jazz.

I was a very poor reader before coming to Berklee, a handicap that greatly limited the kinds of gigs I could play. Courses such as Ear Training and private lessons worked wonders on my reading abilities and boosted my musical self-confidence. The knowledge that I gained from all the music courses has allowed me to communicate with other musicians in a very efficient manner. Berklee taught me a whole musical language...I kind of knew all the concepts before I came here, but now I have the vocabulary to relate to others my ideas.

I also took some great music business courses at Berklee. The information from these proved very useful as I was making my album...with things like copyright information, royalties, etc.

What are some of the current trends that you see as a performer that will most likely shape your future and the future of this industry?

The kind of music I play—Celtic fiddle music—has historically not been huge on the pop circuit. But there has been a folk trend creeping into popular music in the past few years. Recent productions like Riverdance, O Brother Where Art Thou, and others have brought Celtic and Bluegrass to the public eye. There are now fiddlers, not just string sections, in loads of pop/rock bands. Rootsy bands with acoustic instruments like fiddles, banjos, mandolins are topping the country charts. This can only be good news for me as an acoustic fiddle player. I'm optimistic that more and more people will start to realize that acoustic, folk, and ethnic music is WICKED.

It also seems easier these days, because of the Internet and the proliferation of global media, to hear all kinds of music, AND to get your music out to all kinds of audiences.

What advice would you give to women who are starting their own careers in music performance or entering other career fields in the music industry?

Whatever your dream has been to do all your life, go out and do it. Don't worry about starting small—seize every opportunity to play with and meet people, and be perseverant, yet patient about getting what you want. And contrary to popular belief, don't always be looking out for "number one"-- respect the talents of others and allow others to SHINE more, if it benefits the overall musical performance. A huge part of music is interacting and communicating with others. Be confident, but not pushy. And above all, always play like you mean it. You have to believe in the music you're making for it to touch people.