Esther Abrami: Successful violinist and social media star

DW (English)

The internationally-successful musician Esther Abrami uses social media to bring classical music to a younger audience. The Frenchwoman posts videos about her day-to-day life as a violinist and it's catching on.

Transcript

00:00 (violin music)

00:02 Are TikTok and classical music a good fit?

00:06 Esta Abrami says they go together like a hand in glove.

00:11 The violinist is becoming a classical music sensation

00:14 on social media.

00:16 She's got 418,000 followers on TikTok alone.

00:19 - My name is Esta Abrami.

00:23 I'm a classical violinist.

00:24 And what I love about classical music

00:27 is the fact that it can make you feel very deep emotions.

00:31 (violin music)

00:33 - Whether in the concert hall or at home,

00:39 Esta's fans follow her daily musical routine

00:42 up close and personal on social media.

00:44 Her mobile is always close at hand,

00:51 even when she's practicing at home.

00:53 - Three, two, one.

00:55 (violin music)

00:56 - One, two, three, four.

00:57 I use it really just as a platform,

00:59 as a way in order to make classical music more accessible.

01:03 And it's also a great way to have a community,

01:06 to build a community of people

01:07 who have nothing to do with classical music

01:09 and who have kind of their first,

01:12 sometimes their first access to classical music.

01:15 - Abrami was born in France,

01:17 but we meet her at her chosen home in Manchester.

01:20 At age 14, Esta started at Chetham School of Music.

01:24 At first, she couldn't really speak English.

01:26 Even back then,

01:27 she knew she wanted to be a professional violinist.

01:30 (violin music)

01:34 - Never a plan B.

01:37 I don't know.

01:37 I wanted that.

01:40 I think I only thought of,

01:43 oh, I didn't think of a plan B when I was 18

01:46 and all my friends around me,

01:48 that's the moment when you question yourself

01:49 what you want to do.

01:50 But I knew since like I was 10 years old

01:53 what I wanted to do,

01:54 so I never really questioned myself,

01:56 which is a bit scary actually.

01:57 - It's a reunion.

02:00 John Middleton was Esta Abrami's piano teacher.

02:04 Mastering just one instrument wasn't enough for her.

02:06 He was one of Esta's favorite teachers.

02:09 Esta brought her third album along for today's visit.

02:12 It's only been eight years since she left school.

02:14 - Very, very proud.

02:21 Whether that's the right emotion, I don't care,

02:24 because I just feel really, really proud to have taught her

02:27 to have something, some little input.

02:29 And I always believe it's a little input

02:33 that makes a big difference.

02:35 - And of course, this trip back to Abrami's own past

02:40 is being recorded for fans on social media.

02:43 But her real passion is music,

02:50 and to get where she wants to be with it,

02:51 she has to practice, practice, and practice some more.

02:55 Esta shares this part of her day online too.

03:05 - I have, for example, on YouTube as well,

03:08 watch me practice videos.

03:09 So people literally, I open the camera

03:11 and they come into my world of practice.

03:14 Again, it's something that hardly anyone does

03:19 because it is uncomfortable.

03:20 You do have to have to be really confident

03:23 in order to show something that is not perfect.

03:26 - The hard work pays off.

03:31 Esta's concerts are well-received all across Europe,

03:34 and new appearances have been scheduled soon

03:36 in conjunction with her new album.

03:38 She'll be playing in venues in Britain,

03:41 France, and Switzerland.

03:43 - A lot of the time, I have people coming to me

03:47 at the end of the concert saying,

03:48 "This was my first classical concert,

03:50 and this feels really nice."

03:53 It's always so nice, I think,

03:54 when you actually get to meet people.

03:56 And also, they tell you,

03:58 "Oh, I've been following you for that many years,

04:01 and I've seen you grow."

04:02 And that's really nice.

04:04 That's what you want, right?

04:05 To have a, I don't know, that's what I love about it.

04:07 - Esta Abrami brings two worlds together

04:11 that rarely overlap.

04:14 And with that, she's opening up new horizons

04:17 to her friends on social media.

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