Arlen Hlusko (Cello ’15)
Interviewed by Ali King
Director, Marketing and Business Development
Curtis Institute of Music
January 7, 2021
AK: I admire how active you are with practice and performance on social media. Has the pandemic affected how you produce digital content?
AH: I’ve always had an affinity for social media, but now it’s more of a skill that I’m scrutinizing and really using to connect with people. I’m trying to figure out what my niche is in such a busy space. There are so many amazing classical musicians online, and I think the ones who are effectively reaching their audience are doing so in their own specific way. I’ve been trying to figure out what is “authentically me” without forcing it. Experimentation with digital content is key, too, rather than just copying formulas that others have success with, so I’m mindful of that and do my best to keep it a fun activity.
AK: Are you homing in on your niche?
AH: Not really! I started my cello Instagram account a few years ago and decided to do Hilary Hahn’s #100daysofpractice challenge. I’ve always loved poetry and got even more into it while studying at Curtis with Dr. Jeanne McGinn. The #100daysofpractice challenge taught me so much about accountability and self-evaluation, and I found myself naturally connecting it to whatever I was reading at the time. I’ve continued doing that and gotten positive feedback from some followers, so maybe there’s something there.
AK: Where do you record your videos for social media?
AH: These days they’re filmed in the library at my family’s home in Lowville, Ontario, where I’m currently sheltering in place. I feel very lucky to be here because it’s rural and fairly remote — easy to go on a socially distanced walk. Normally I’m based in Manhattan and Philly where I have teaching studios.
AK: Did any remote collaborations emerge over the last year that you’d like to share?
AH: A lot of people are putting together some incredible remote videos of themselves recording to one another or to a click track, but I learned pretty quickly that for me it just doesn’t work well. The loss of spontaneity isn’t super inspiring. Because of that, I did a call for composers on social media to be a part of a project called September Solo Cello. The idea behind it was for them to compose a one-minute-or-less (specifically to match Instagram’s video specs) piece for cello, influenced by the pandemic. One composer documented field recordings of his life quarantined in a city apartment to capture the pandemic’s soundscape. One composer from Portland was motivated by the police brutality this summer. One composer set poems to music. Beyond the meaningful connection with 24 musical strangers, what resulted was a set of solo cello pieces that I’m recording now for an album with the help Drew Schlegel, Curtis’s director of audio engineering.
AK: Do you have future plans for September Solo Cello?
AH: I think it would be an interesting reflection point to potentially take on tour. Because it’s inspired by a recent and intense common experience that would be shared by everyone in the audience, there’s a real opportunity to connect with both music and dialogue.
AK: Speaking of connecting with audiences, tell me about Philadelphia Performances for Autism, a series you created after graduating from Curtis.
AH: The year after graduating I spent a year as a Community Artist Fellow in Philly working with a special-needs classroom at a school in Camden, New Jersey. That’s where I first learned that many students on the autism spectrum and their families don’t have opportunities to comfortably experience live music — especially chamber music. The series was interrupted when I moved to New York City, but I plan to restart it when I have more capacity to support the grantwriting that supports it financially.
AK: Do you think the mission of the series could translate online to livestreamed performances?
AH: My inclination would have been to say no, but I was proven wrong! One of the challenges with autism is that of course it’s a spectrum disorder, so it’s harder to connect with varying audience members’ needs when remote. Recently though I worked with the Spoleto Festival USA, which partnered with HEART to put together a livestreamed concert for families with children on the autism spectrum. The host, Stephen Prutsman, conducted mini interviews with the performers in between pieces and we did singalongs. That interactive engagement in between pieces is so important, maybe for all audiences, but especially for this one.
AK: What about Curtis resonates most with you, both when you were a student and now?
AH: I think what really makes or breaks the Curtis experience is the connection students have with their direct mentors. I adored and am still friends with my teachers — Carter Brey and Pete Wiley. One of the things I love about Curtis is how, despite the competitive field, it fosters a nurturing environment and builds community. I felt, and still feel, welcome there; Curtis lets alumni use campus facilities, which I certainly take advantage of when teaching in Philly.
AK: Are there any programmatic changes you’d like to see?
AH: Curtis has a more traditional curriculum and there’s a lot to be said for that. I’d love to have taken deeper dives into baroque and new music programs as a student, though I think Curtis is limited by its size to some extent. Mostly I hope it never loses its warmth — that true familial support.
