Jeremy Kittel: The Future is Wide Open
How does this violinist and violist do so much—and still have time to romp around like a monkey?
It’s the zillion-dollar question.
Given all that is demanded of today’s hard-working, globe-hopping, multifaceted, multi-instrumental musicians, how does a modern-day professional fiddler-violist-violinist sustain the necessary enthusiasm, maintain a steady flow of energy and—against all odds—somehow avoid burning out?
In other words, how much is too much?
“Um, I’m really not sure I’m qualified to give advice on that,” offers Jeremy Kittel, punctuating his remark with a big, self-effacing laugh. “I think the evidence shows,” he finally allows, “that I don’t always know how much is too much.
“But, that’s the way I like it.”
Kittel, 27, is the violist for the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet, and the fiddling frontman of his own eponymous band. He writes, performs (as an orchestral soloist, chamber player, and bandleader), records, and teaches. His list of recent projects matches in number what many musicians accomplish in a full decade. Last year, he contributed viola to the video score of Infamous 2, a violent Sony PlayStation 3 game that has an unlikely soundtrack featuring a bass, two cellos, viola, and violin.
“I hope that in the near future we’ll begin to see this medium of entertainment turn towards ever more artful ways; giving us an immersive, dramatic experience that brings us enjoyment, perspective, and knowledge that we can take back with us into our real lives,” Kittel wrote in a blog on his website. “It’s really just the beginning. In the meantime, I guess I’ll just use my electromagnetostatico superpowers to hurl this Volvo towards that dastardly helicopter. . . . ”
Further Resources
Read about Jeremy Kittel's 2012 departure from the Turtle Island Quartet.
On the road for more than 60 percent of the year (“I’m not home more often than I am, I guess!” Kittel says), his home time is either spent rehearsing for one of his own gigs or writing string arrangements for one of his musical colleagues. His taste in music spans the continuum between classical and traditional, folk and rock, jazz and pop.
He attends to his own website (jeremykittel.com) and blogs regularly about his thoughts, passions, and musical adventures.
And if his website is to be believed, he relaxes by engaging in something called “monkey conditioning.”
There’s a video.
What’s remarkable about Kittel’s workload is how unremarkable it is, in the big picture. These days, it’s rare to find an up-and-coming string player who doesn’t do 20 different things, or one who only performs with but a single orchestra or ensemble. To make it as a musician in the 21st century, it seems a string player must be a Jack or Jill of all trades. Where Kittel excels is in making it all look so easy . . . and so fun. Kittel, in more ways than one, is a prime example of strategic overachievement in practice. And as such, he knows a thing or two about the importance of staving off that aforementioned burnout.
“Burnout? That’s always the fear, isn’t it?” he says, talking on the phone from his home in Oakland, California. “There have definitely been points in my life where I’ve gone a little overboard, doing a lot of things at once, pursuing one too many projects. New ideas, new experiences, they are really exciting, but I can’t forget I have to be careful not to lose focus of the practical side of things. I have to know my limits.
“I’ve had to think about this a lot,” he continues. “When you are in the kind of position so many of my fellow musicians are in, of having a lot of projects in the works all the time, what you have to do, I think, is just keep yourself inspired. You need to create an environment where there’s always something that gets you excited, something that makes you want to do your best. If you do that, you won’t burn out as easy. If you don’t love something about what you are doing, if it doesn’t inspire you in some way, then your body can’t always keep up. So you need balance—and for a certain period of your life, balance may mean hanging out with friends and playing music all day.”
