Classical/rock violinist Daisy Jopling was born in London, and now lives in NY. She has toured the world with her own band, the “Daisy Jopling Band” and with the creative string trio “Triology.” She has recorded 9 CDS, 2 with BMG RCA Victor. Her latest album “Who’s Who” was released worldwide on September 10, 2019. Produced by Felipe Souza with Tea 4 2 Productions, this album consists of original violin arrangements of great songs by The Who.
Her Solo work has included playing a concerto at the Royal Albert Hall in London at the age of 14, playing twice before 30,000 people at the opening of the Vienna Festival, touring with her band to 53 stunning concert halls in China, creating “Illuminance” on Bannerman Island, NY which aired on PBS in 2021, and performing her own “Awakening” Concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center in 2017.
In June 2021 Daisy premiered a new show called “Transcendence”, directed by iconic Olympic Ceremony creator Daniel Flannery, based on African American author Sarah Bracey White’s memoir “Primary Lessons”. She is currently working on two concerts with her band at the Great Pyramids in Egypt, on June 17 in collaboration with the UN HCR and on November 4, 2022.
Daisy has collaborated with superstars worldwide, including Bobby McFerrin and Rob Evan from the US, Hollywood’s Hans Zimmer, India’s Shubha Mudgal, Cuba’s Omara Portuondo, Africa’s Oliver Mtukutsi, Austria’s Joe Zawinul, Wolfgang Muthspiel and Julian Rachlin, The Netherland’s Janine Jansen, Russia’s Boris Grebenshikov and London’s Tony Award Winning director Tom Morris.
Daisy has composed music for various ensembles which has been performed in major concert halls throughout the world, and for the last 11 years she has performed her own shows “The String Pulse Experience” and “Awakening” for her Band, orchestra, solo singers, dancers, and youth choir, enhanced by custom made lighting design and projections. Both shows give opportunities to young instrumentalists, singers and dancers to perform on great stages alongside world class musicians. “Music Magic: The String Pulse Experience” documentary film by Diana C. Frank has aired on Mountain Lake PBS.
You have been playing violin for more than a minute…..when did you first begin and what inspired you to continue?
I started playing the violin when I was three years old. One of my favorite aunts, who is also my godmother, Louise Grattan (her maiden name is Louise Jopling) was a professional violinist, and also an amazing teacher. Apparently when I was three years old, I repeatedly told my mom that I wanted to play the violin like Aunt Louise. My mom said she even took an empty tissue box and put some rubber bands on it like violin strings so I could get a feel for the violin, apparently I was into it! Finally, my mom organized a wonderful local violin teacher for me, called Olive Cox, who was fantastic at teaching children. She made it so fun!
My aunt Louise organized music camps every year, which I absolutely adored. In England, a camp means that children actually camp in tents – we would find a home with a big enough yard, or a small field nearby, put up some tents, and we would have 20 children camping. Heaven for us kids. My aunt would organize treasure hunts to find the music notes to help us to read music, and we improvised outside, we sung and played music in groups together, and we would perform our solo pieces for each other. The first time I played in the group of 20 children, I was just five years old. It was an incredible experience to go from hearing my single violin line to being part of this whole group with children up to 15 years old who were much better than me. I felt so proud and excited, the sound of us playing together seemed fabulous to me.
This is the opportunity we are creating for our kids on May 22 at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater – some of the kids have never played in an orchestra before, they have only played solo, and I know they are in for such a treat!
Get your tickets for “Irradiance” Featuring the Daisy Jopling Band, Orchestra 914 and Local Students here:
https://paramounthudsonvalley.showare.com/ordertickets.asp?p=1175&a=0&src=&backurl=
“Irradiance” Video Promo:
As a child you performed at The Royal Albert Hall…. What are your fondest memories regarding that?
Yes. My fondest memory was the feeling of elation as I walked out onto the stage as the soloist playing a Bach concerto at the Royal Albert Hall. I had been so nervous for at least a week before that I thought I would be sick. But the moment I stood on that stage, I felt freedom beyond words. My whole concerto seemed to pass by in a flash, and I know I was having the time of my life. That was the moment I realized I love performing. I remember telling everyone afterwards that because so many great artists have played that hall, their spirits felt like they were with me, and their energy totally uplifted me.
Was there a moment that you can recall that changed the entire trajectory of your life?
Yes. I left school at 17 years old to attend the Royal College of Music in London. I had been living in the deep countryside, a couple of hours northeast of London. Arriving in London was so exhilarating for me! I suddenly found out about lots of different styles of music, and I also got excited about learning different disciplines, including studying philosophy, economy, massage and cooking. And there was partying… I was on a three-year course at the Royal College of Music, and after 2 years, my brother came to live with me in my apartment in London. After living with me for three weeks, and seeing that I was hardly practicing my violin, he sat me down. I only had one more year of study before I was supposed to be out in the world, and he told me that he felt the trajectory I was on was not going to lead me to becoming a professional musician. And I was dabbling in so many other disciplines, he thought it would be a good idea for me to decide what I wanted to be when I left college. It was obviously the right timing for me, because his words hit home, and I remember taking three days to really meditate on the question: who do I want to be in my life? What do I want to do? It seemed obvious that I was going to become a professional musician to everyone around me, but I had never made that clear decision in my soul. I finally decided that becoming a professional musician was what I wanted to do. After that inner powerful knowing, everything changed for me. I started learning the violin with a new teacher at the Royal College of Music, who changed my whole violin technique. He took me out of all the activities I was doing at the Royal College, like playing in the orchestra and in a string Quartet, and I had to spend six months starting over with just playing the open strings again and gradually building everything up. I decided to apply for staying on one more year at the college, and after six months I had to audition like every year to be in the college orchestra. I had been playing nearly the last chair in the orchestra before I moved to this new teacher and made my inner decision, and after the audition I received a call telling me I had been made the leader of the whole orchestra. I was totally shocked. This is what an inner decision and dedication can do.
Have you had your ultimate stage fantasy yet?
As a musician we are always looking for our next ultimate stage fantasy! I adored playing before 30,000 people twice at the opening of the Vienna festival, and I am excited beyond words to be playing soon right next to the Great Pyramids in Egypt. And I have so many more dreams up my sleeve!
Tell me about your Cairo experience and how you got that gig?
I let the whispers of the universe into my soul. A year and a half ago, three members of my team mentioned that we should do a concert by the pyramids. My incredible clothes designer, Jane Wilson-Marquis, had the idea of creating hieroglyphics on a dress; one of my lighting designer Deke Hazirjian’s team had worked with Yanni at the Pyramids; and a wonderful publicist friend Gary Springer was working regularly at the Cairo and El Gouna Film Festivals. Gary suggested I come with him to the Cairo Film Festival last year at the beginning of December. I was inspired to hop on a plane and go with him. What an incredible experience! Within the first 24 hours, I was sitting at breakfast in a beautiful, palatial hotel, 75° weather, palm trees around me, feeling like I am in heaven. A woman walked past my table, and I felt inspired to ask her to join me for breakfast. She agreed, and I asked her what she did. She said she is a creative director, and has organized big concerts in aid of charities like the UNHCR. I showed her some of my videos and asked her if she would like to produce a concert with me at the pyramids, and she said yes! Her name is Ragnhild Ek, she’s a Swedish producer and director, now living in Cairo for the last nine years, and she is producing the concerts I will be playing at the pyramids. She is absolutely amazing!! Cairo is a magical place, inspired energy is all around me when I’m there, and so much kindness and love. I truly believe the energy of the pyramids is in the air in Egypt.
On May 22 you will be doing a rather special concert….please explain?
For the last 11 years I have run the Daisy Jopling Music Mentorship Foundation. We are based in Northern Westchester, Peekskill, NY, and so far over 8000 children have been through our programs. These include free after-school violin lessons for underserved children; free workshops in song-writing, beatboxing and body percussion; free world class performances for children to attend; and our mentorship programs. On May 22, we will have over 100 children performing in “Irradiance” at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill, NY. These children are presently being mentored by world-class professional musicians and this opportunity for them to meet and work with our amazing artists, and then perform on stage with them to a thousand people, is life-changing and confidence-building for our students. We will have a full 45-piece orchestra mentored by the wonderful musicians of Orchestra 914, and local choirs from the Peekskill and Hendrick Hudson School Districts. We have performed at Lincoln Center, in Lake Placid, on Long Island and in Westchester, and every single concert our audiences have felt that it was one of the most incredible performances they’ve ever heard. We create magic and an unforgettable experience for our students and audience alike.
You have a special affinity for exposing children and young artists to your music and music in general, please explain?
When I first came to live in Peekskill 12 years ago, there was no strings program in the schools, and parents asked me if I could please help start one. I agreed. I knew we would have to build up the interest and excitement from the children themselves, their parents, and the community at large. So I performed in all the local schools. I was very nervous, because I had never performed for children before. I was shocked at the incredible response from the students, they were blown away by my violin playing and I received standing ovations from many schools I performed at – and this was often from teenagers! I realized that I have the gift of inspiring children, and also that this is something many young people are wanting in their lives – to be able to express their individuality and creativity. It is possible to play any style of music on the violin, and I played a wide variety of styles for the students so they realized they could relate to playing the violin from whatever background they came from. The Peekskill school district approved a strings program with help from many amazing community members, starting with 20 students. 70 students auditioned! Which was why my foundation started the free violin program, to allow at least a few more students each year to be able to learn the violin, who could not otherwise afford it. We have around 20 students in our program. It is called the Ovation Strings program, and is taught by our absolutely genius violin teacher Susan Feldman.
What projects will you be involved in the rest of 2022 and beyond ?
- Irradiance at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater on May 22 at 3 PM
- Three concerts at the Pyramids in Egypt. (tentative dates are June 20, September 20 and November 4, I will tell you as soon as those dates are confirmed)
- I will be shooting some stunning videos throughout Egypt, as I release more of my music this year
- We are collaborating with African-American author Sarah Bracey White on creating a show around her story “Wanderlust”, which will be premiered on May 20, 2023
- In November 2023, we will be performing at the Taj Mahal in India. This concert will also involve local children’s choirs and support local music education
- Our vision is to be performing incredible shows worldwide at extraordinary and inspirational sites which uplift the human spirit and empower children
The official website for The Daisy Jopling Band may be found at https://www.daisyjoplingband.com