By Adrian Anantawan

As a violinist with an active performing career, I have the privilege of playing around the country and abroad, from major concert halls to elementary schools. While these activities have given me the opportunity to expand my musical horizons, they have allowed me to observe a growing disparity between the world of classical music and the community. This divide draws lines across cultures, class and politics, breeding intolerance in a world that strives for social interconnectivity.

I was born with a congenital defect, meaning that I have lived without the use of a right hand for my entire life. When I was ten, my parents bought me a violin, which was an inordinate expense at the time; the possibility of a successful adaptation would be difficult. With the help of biomedical engineers at a pediatric rehabilitation centre in Toronto, I was able to play with a relatively simple adaptation known as the “spatula.” This device has allowed me to play the instrument to a level where I have two degrees in music, with the possibility of a third this coming year. While all children may not have the same luck and opportunities as I did, it is certainly possible to have a sustainable career in music for those with a disability, given the right environment and assistance. Mastery over a particular craft can be one of the most basic motivations for success-orientated behavior. What is missing most of the time in the world of disability is not the motivation, but rather the tools to master something as complicated as a musical instrument.

Given my background as a musician with a disability, it has now become a mandate part of my career to bridge a small niche of this divide: classical performance within a rehabilitative healthcare setting. This commitment in my life has evolved into several chamber music initiatives with the Bloorview Kids Rehab Centre in Toronto, Ontario, where I have joined a team of music therapists, educators, and researchers to allow children with disabilities to participate in classical music, making and using adaptive musical instruments and repertoire. I hope in the future to be involved with founding a chamber music society that would serve as a performance platform for such initiatives, and providing a legitimate medium by which talented children with disabilities can express their art.

When participating in classical musical activities within this setting, we are faced with a polarizing set of ideals that the lack of mindfulness can pull a performance apart by the thread. On one side, we have an art that relies heavily upon tradition and historical context, and on the other, a need for adaptation that for children with disabilities requires looking to new technologies and the future. On the grander scale, this is a dilemma that has seized the present world of classical music and its long-term survival, especially in light of recent economic turmoil. In a political world that increasingly attempts to siphon financial recourses to essential services, we are faced with confronting the burgeoning questions as to the relevance of our craft.

In what may constitute a poetic irony, it is within the world of disability that we see through a mirror into what currently ails classical music. What is the relevance of a child with a neuromuscular or orthopedic condition so severe that he is unable to manipulate the physical world around him (or traditional musical instrument) in a meaningful way? If we are to invest in our economy, is it in our best interests to focus on issues that directly affect commercial and industrial endeavors rather than rehabilitation? Most people would challenge the validity of such rhetoric, though the same argument can be made on behalf of classical music. The mutuality of predicament between these two worlds can also engender mutuality of cause, but like all cross-collaborative efforts, both sides have to negotiate a common ground. Herein lies at the heart of my personal cause: to create a chamber music society that will join professional musicians, clinicians and researchers towards the goal of enriching the artistic lives of children with disabilities.

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Adrian Anantawan

Born of Thai-Chinese ethnicity, Anantawan began the violin at nine, and first toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 1999 and 2000. Following this was his acceptance to the Curtis Institute of Music in 2001, where he completed his bachelor degree under the tutelage of Ida Kavafian and Yumi Ninomiya Scott. He has performed with the Toronto Symphony and National Academy Orchestras, with recitals at the Aspen Music Festival, the Glen Gould Studio and the White House. In 2006, Adrian was nominated for a Juno for his work on the children’s album, “A Butterfly in Time” (Marco Polo Records). He has worked with Pinchas Zukerman as part of the NAC Young Artists Program in Ottawa, and Itzhak Perlman on Shelter Island, NY and Sarasota, FL.

Adrian is a key proponent of the disabled arts, as he was born without a right hand. He is a national spokesperson for the War Amps of Canada, and the Bloorview Kids Rehab Center. His proudest moments have included performances for the late Christopher Reeves and Pope John Paul II. He has also represented Canada as a cultural ambassador the past two Summer Olympics, and will perform at the 2010 Winter Olympics with the Vancouver Symphony. He will collaborate with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter as part of a sixteen city European tour in 2011.

Adrian Anantawan plays the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

Adrian is very active in Canadian media, including CBC, CTV, and most major newspapers, his documentary “Adrian Anantawan: The Story Behind the Notes” is currently being broadcast across the country.

Adrian has completed his Masters Degree at Yale University, studying under Peter Oundjian, and has studied with Paul Kantor at the Glenn Gould School. His hobbies include swimming, ethnic foods, and the various incarnations of Star Trek.

He currently plays on a 2006 Daniel Karinkanta violin, made in Buenos Aires.

June 4, 2010in Features by guest-contributor Comments Off