Carmine Miranda receives Global Music Awards Odyssey Award for Lifetime Achievement in Music

 

Miranda's performances and recordings have appeared in radio stations all over the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. An avid soloist, he has performed with several chamber ensembles and orchestras including Caracas Municipal Symphony, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, South Czech Philharmonic, Moravian Philharmonic, among others. Carmine has also performed in prominent concert halls and music festivals around the world including Carnegie Hall (NYC), Smetana Hall (CZ), the Aula Magna Hall (VE), International Český Krumlov Music Festival, Parma Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Close Encounters with Music Series in Great Barrington, NY and many more. Carmine has collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Yehuda Hanani, Awadagin Pratt, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Yuriy Yanko, Mario Košík, Spanish composer Luis Serrano Alarcón and Grammy Nominated composer Michael Hoppé.

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​Miranda was kind to respond to Global Music Awards' request for an interview.

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As a way of beginning this interview, I want to tell you that you are the youngest artist to ever receive Global Music Awards’ Odyssey Award for Lifetime Achievement in Music. You are only 37 years of age. That said, you were a child prodigy which means you’ve been performing in front of a live audiences for 28 years.   

Tell us about your earliest memories and experiences with a cello.

I still vividly remember the first time that I was given a cello by my local conservatory. I could not wait to get home to attempt to play it, even before receiving my very first lesson ever. The feeling was the same as when you get a present on Christmas Day.

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The cello is my personal favorite musical instrument, but why did you end up with a cello? It would have been easier for a little boy to carry a harmonica or flute.

The cello always felt very natural to me, and the perfect size as well. As someone who is dyslexic and who struggled with neck issues when I was younger, instruments like the piano seemed overwhelmingly complex. I thought the violin would be quite uncomfortable to play; it seemed like a little toy in comparison to the cello's scale.

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You were a child prodigy, how did that come about?

I don’t know if I would call myself a child prodigy, but the cello always felt very natural to me. There are elements of the mechanics of the instrument that made sense according to my body type and the movement of my limbs. I spent a vast chunk of my life and a ton of time with the instrument—always studying the mechanisms, analyzing recordings of the great masters, researching history, and dissecting compositions to better understand the core of what I was doing.

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What were the downsides to being a child prodigy?

In my case, and probably in the case of many other musicians, it is coming across people who often take advantage of talent for their own personal goals without giving anything in return. In essence, they exploit the kindness and naivety of youth. Not to mention, there is the pressure of constantly being scrutinized and critiqued while sacrificing many typical experiences during the formation process.

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What do you like most about playing the cello?

The fact that I can treat it like a human voice and sing with it due to its versatile range.

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What do you think are the most innovative and original aspects of your music?

I grew up listening to all kinds of music, particularly folkloric music from many different cultures. As a performer and interpreter, I go through a process of historical research and theoretical analysis. I do not believe in imitating but rather combining everything that I have learned over time in order to make any piece that I am performing my own.

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Among noted musicians, whom do you most respect and why?

Too many to name but mainly, Pablo Casals, Jascha Heifetz, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniil Shafran, Paul Tortelier, Misha Maisky, Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballe, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, The Darkness, Avicii, Daft Punk, Breakbot, Justice… Apart for being masters of their craft, all of them had/have their own voice and were/are not afraid to use it. I like artists that live or feel music and are able to express it.

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You are known as a Dogal Strings and Faster Sound artist. What does that mean?

I perform exclusively on handmade strings from Venice, Italy, by Dogal. Having collaborated with them for many years as both an artist and a consultant, I consider their strings an integral component of my instrument's tonal response and character. Furthermore, I utilize a specialized set of acoustic components developed by the world-renowned Spanish luthier and friend José María Lozano. In particular, I use his intricate, handcrafted endpins; these are engineering marvels designed to maximize the instrument's projection and resonance, allowing for a more expansive and 'open' sound.

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"In an era of 'playlist-culture' where classical music is often marketed as background study music or 'relaxation,' your recordings of the Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff sonatas demand intense emotional labor from the listener. How do you justify the 'difficult' or 'aggressive' side of the cello to a modern audience that is being told music should always be comfortable?"

I have an analogy for this. When watching a movie or show, sometimes these can make people laugh, cry, get scared, or inspire their imagination. The same applies to music, and classical music is no exception. The misconception that classical music is boring, antiquated, or relaxing is because many listeners have not been exposed to other repertoire or sub-genres within classical music, or they have been exposed to a more passive side of the classical world.  The music of Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff is the perfect example, out of many, that classical music has the ability to evoke many different emotions, some of which can make the listeners energized, happy, sad, uncomfortable, and inspired, which is the case for all music, regardless of its genre. 

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You are training cellists who will enter a professional world vastly different from the one you entered. If you could permanently delete one 'traditional' rule of classical music etiquette or training to help the next generation thrive, what would it be?"

The “dress code”. If there is one thing, in my opinion, that has contributed to the “boring” or “antiquated” stigma surrounding classical music, it is the way that people still dress on stage. Unfortunately, because of tradition, we are taught and still require our students to wear either a suit, tuxedo, elaborate banquet dresses, or the “all black” attire that most of us wear while performing. However, classical musicians need to start putting themselves in the shoes of the average person. Does this look very inviting to other people? I don’t think so, and I don’t think this is the case. If I could play in jeans and a t-shirt, I would do it in a heartbeat. It would make the whole concert-going experience more inviting for other people who might not know much about this genre, which does at times feel like entering a museum rather than a concert experience.

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“You recorded the Bach Suites and Piatti Caprices very early in your career—works often considered among the ‘Everest’ of the cello repertoire. Now, with more years of life and teaching experience, how has your definition of a ‘perfect’ performance changed?”

No, not much, and if anything, my experiences have reinforced what I’ve always believed. I’ve always known that there isn’t such a thing as a “perfect” performance or perfect recording. Music is a very subjective art form, and there are components to performing an instrument like the cello that are constantly changing. The components and the instrument itself are made to constantly move and shift around depending on the weather and pressure. On top of that, a performer could wake up feeling one way or another depending on the day. Some performances of mine that I thought went as close to perfect, other people have disliked, and some performances of mine that I have disliked, other people have liked. For this reason, the only thing that matters is always to do the very best job, strive for perfection given the circumstances, and to be able to make a meaningful connection with the public.

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"We live in a world that is increasingly loud and fast. What do you believe is the primary 'service' a classical musician provides to a modern audience? Is it a form of sanctuary, a challenge, or something else entirely?"

I believe all the above and more. We live in a world where social media has reduced the attention span of people by constantly reinforcing short stimulations. This is a massive issue that is lowering the ability for people to concentrate while reducing levels of cognition. In today’s world, attending classical music concerts, even more than ever, can help increase attention span, concentration, and focus. In essence, they aid in making the musician and concertgoer smarter, given that the concertgoer has the ability to keep their phones away for longer than an hour. 

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How much of your playing is a conscious decision, and how much is a deep, instinctive conversation with the wood and the strings that happens below the level of thought?"

I would say that 80 percent of the time, I am always making conscious decisions about technical and musical choices. The other 20 percent is based on muscle memory, instinct, and how the instrument “feels” during a particular performance. I have a slogan of mine in my cello studio that my students know as “cello playing is 80 percent mental, 20 percent physical”. It is meant to teach students that a large portion of playing an instrument like the cello begins with the ability to control the mind.

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"You’ve seen the industry transition into a massive digital era where your recordings reach millions on Spotify. In this 'high-tech' world, what is the one 'low-tech' or ancient tradition of the cello that you feel must be protected at all costs?"

I can think of two things. First, the art of recorded music is important to keep alive simply because people nowadays confuse music videos with sound recordings. In essence, music is drifting from an auditory to a visual experience. This is problematic because music is innately purely auditory. Younger generations are having a harder time sitting down with a pair of headphones and just listening to music without the need for a visual stimulus. Second, the importance of using wooden instruments and bows, which have always been known to produce way better results than materials like carbon fiber and plastic. More and more, I see a trend with younger string players who own carbon fiber bows and sometimes instruments, rather than saving money to purchase a decent wooden bow or cello. 

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"Many great performers speak of 'inner hearing'—the ability to hear the entire score in the mind without the instrument. How much of your retention happens away from the cello, and how do you train that 'mental ear' to be as reliable as your physical technique?"

This is true and a very important component of performance. Before playing a note on the instrument, I have to be able to internally hear in order to know what is that I want to accomplish on a technical level. This concept goes back to my slogan, where a large component of playing an instrument starts in the mind. Just like memorizing a song, the mind has to be able to internalize the notes first, which can be achieved with proper practicing techniques and tools that involve spending a lot of time with the instrument and score. Some young players make the mistake of just wanting to play pieces from start to finish without proper practicing skills, which ultimately affects their ability to make meaningful progress on the instrument.

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"Classical music has a reputation for being 'elite' or 'unapproachable.' As a soloist and professor, what is one 'rule' of the concert hall that you think we should officially abolish to make the experience more human?"

For me, it always comes back to the dress code. The tradition of performing and attending concerts in formal attire—tuxedos, tails, and elaborate gowns—creates a literal visual hierarchy that separates the 'elite' on stage from the 'common' person in the audience. It makes the musician look like a statue in a gallery rather than a person sharing an emotion. By abolishing these rigid sartorial rules and allowing musicians to present themselves more authentically and casually, we strip away the intimidation factor. It transforms the concert hall from a place of formal ritual into a place of human connection, making the music feel like it belongs to everyone, regardless of what they are wearing.

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Your recording of the Piatti Caprices is noted for being an unedited performance. In an era where digital 'perfection' is often manufactured in the studio, why was it important for you to capture the raw, human truth of that performance, and do you think the industry has lost something by over-editing?"

I did the record this way for a variety of reasons, mainly as a challenge to prove to myself that I could do it, but also because there isn’t such a thing as a “perfect performance”. As I was explaining before, a perfect performance is within the “ear of the beholder” and a matter of perspective. To make a record and pretend that “mistakes” don’t happen while playing is the same as a model who has gone through massive photoshopping and then saying that they look like the photoshopped picture. It presents a false narrative, and some aspects of the performance are lost to the editing engineer who makes the editing decisions. At the same time, there are records that have to be edited due to the difficulty provided by the recording space and occasion, such as limited time with an orchestra or studio, or maybe more. In essence, I believe that tasteful editing is necessary depending on the occasion, but I have an issue when a record has been edited to the point that the playing itself has morphed into something unrecognizable and far removed from the performer.

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Want to hear a joke about cellists? I’ll assume you said yes. “We told our two daughters not to date cellists because they’ll string you along!

I got one too! Why is a cello better than a viola? Because a cello burns longer. And it makes a much more beautiful sound while it’s doing it.

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What advice do you have for young, emerging musicians?

The best musicians have always been the most knowledgeable. Make music that has meaning and can change the world into a better place.

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Carmine Miranda’s Background

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American cellist Carmine Miranda has established an award-winning international career and recognition as a soloist, chamber musician, and best-selling recording artist. Praised by many publications such as Fanfare Magazine for “fast becoming known for his ability to combine virtuosity with intense, well-thought-out interpretations” and by The Strad Magazine for "showing himself to be in full command of both instrument and works", Carmine’s performances and recordings have appeared in some of the finest concert halls, music festivals, radio and TV stations, as well as PBS affiliated stations all over the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

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Born in Venezuela to Armenian and Italian immigrants, Carmine began his musical studies at the Latin-American Academy of Violoncello and the Simon Bolivar Conservatory of Music (the institution that spawned the famous “El Sistema”), where he was a member of the National Youth Orchestra and the Orchestra of Beethoven under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel and Giuseppe Sinopoli. In the United States, he continued his musical education, obtaining a Doctoral Degree in cello performance with honors and a chamber music cognate from the University of Cincinnati.

 

As an avid soloist, he has performed with several chamber ensembles and orchestras, including the Caracas Municipal Symphony, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, South Czech Philharmonic, Moravian Philharmonic, among many others. Carmine has also performed in prominent concert halls and music festivals in the United States and around the world including: Carnegie Hall, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Smetana Hall (CZ), Aula Magna Hall (VE), International Český Krumlov Music Festival, Parma Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Close Encounters with Music Series in Great Barrington, NY and many more. Carmine has also collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Yehuda Hanani, Muneko Otani, Tracy Silverman, Awadagin Pratt, Rodolfo Saglimbeni, Yuriy Yanko, Mario Košík, Petr Vronský, composer Judith Shatin, Spanish composer Luis Serrano Alarcón, and Grammy-nominated composer Michael Hoppé.

 

He has participated in several music competitions as a soloist and chamber musician, winning several recognitions and awards at a national and international level. Among them include: Coral Gables Music Club Award for “Best Instrumentalist”, first prize winner of the 2005 Alhambra Music Competition, 2005-2006 National Orchestra Award for “Best Soloist” from the Florida Music Educators Association, winner of the 08-09 University of Cincinnati Cello Competition, Distinguished Award from the 2012 IBLA International Competition, “Three Gold”, “Two Silver” and “One Bronze” Medals from the 2014, 2017 and 2023 Global Music Awards for: "Best Of Show "(GMA's highest honor), "Best Emerging Artist ", "Best Instrumentalist " and "Best Classical Recording", two Hollywood Music in Media Awards nominations (2015 and 2016), and also a laureate of Fischoff, Concert Artist Guild and Hudson Valley Competitions.

 

Several of Carmine’s recordings have become number one classical bestsellers on retailers such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, and iTunes. His recording of the Dvorak and Schumann Cello Concerti charted in the Billboard top 50 classical recordings with over one million Spotify plays. At the ages of twenty-two and twenty-three, Carmine recorded the Six Cello Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach under the label Centaur Records and Alfredo Piatti’s 12 Caprices for Solo Cello under the label Navona Records, joining the ranks of the youngest in the world to record these entire works. In 2013, Carmine completed the United States premiere of Nikita Koshkin's "L'istesso Tempo" composition for cello and guitar, and in 2015, completed a world premiere recording of Yves Ramette’s sonata for cello and piano. He was also selected to represent the University of Cincinnati as a soloist for a multi-state American tour with the CCM Wind Orchestra, culminating with an opening night performance at the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) National Conference in North Carolina’s Aycock Auditorium. 

 

As a scholar and academic, Carmine joined the music faculty at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, since 2019, where he teaches cello and chamber music. He is regularly invited to conduct masterclasses as a professor and lecturer at some of the finest institutions and music festivals around the world. In 2016, he wrote a compelling article published in one of the oldest musicological journals in the U.K. (The Musical Times, London, Spring 2016), where he uncovered a code written by Robert Schumann in his Cello Concerto. Likewise, Carmine is the president and founder of the independent electronic music label and production company RLU Records, equally skilled as an electronic and dance music composer, producer, and DJ under the pseudonym “45trona Ut”. Currently, Carmine Miranda is a Dogal USA artist and plays on a 1998 Mario Gadda cello made in Mantova, Italy, on Dogal’s Montagnana strings handmade in Venice, Italy.