At just 19 years old, pianist Eva Garrett has already built an impressive international career, earning her a place among the most outstanding young talents on the classical music scene. A student of Mihaela Zamfirescu at the “George Enescu” National College in Bucharest, she has been playing the piano since the age of five and is the recipient of dozens of first prizes from national and international competitions.
Eva is the youngest laureate of the prestigious “Golden Lyre” award at the National Music Olympiad in Suceava (Romania), as well as the only Romanian pianist to have been awarded at the International Competition for Young Pianists in Ettlingen (Germany). Her international achievements also include prizes from competitions in Prague, Spain, Germany, Moscow, and Bucharest.
At the age of just eleven, she made her debut as a soloist with orchestra, and today her career includes performances with leading philharmonic orchestras and conductors in Romania and across Europe. She has appeared on some of the most prestigious stages, including the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, the Radio Hall of the Romanian capital, the Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International House of Music, as well as on international concert tours.
On January 22, she will make her debut on the Bulgarian stage at the Philharmonic Hall under the baton of Ukki Sachedina, where, accompanied by the Ruse Philharmonic Orchestra, she will perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor.
In an interview for the State Opera Ruse, Eva Garrett speaks about her journey from child prodigy to mature artist, about the stage as a vocation, and about the inspiration and dreams that continue to guide her forward.
Welcome to Ruse, Eva! We are delighted to have the opportunity to hear You on the stage of the Philharmonic Hall in just a few days. Have You performed in Bulgaria before, and more specifically, in our city?
Thank you very much for the warm welcome! I am truly happy to be a guest in Ruse. I have not performed in Bulgaria before, so this will be my debut on the Ruse stage. I have heard wonderful things about the Ruse audience and the city’s strong musical traditions, and I am very much looking forward to this concert.
How did Your journey as a pianist begin, and was the piano the instrument You chose for yourself?
My journey as a musician began when I was four or five years old, in kindergarten. I was a very ambitious child and wanted to try all kinds of extracurricular activities, but in the end, the piano was the one I stuck with. It felt natural, and playing came easily to me. My teacher told my parents that I had perfect pitch and that they should consider a musical path for me, which fortunately they did. I never felt pressured; I just knew this would be my path, and I was happy with my choice.
You are often described as a “child prodigy” on the international stage, yet now you are an artist with considerable experience. At times like these, one thinks of Mozart and his story as a child prodigy. This label can create high expectations later on. How do You free yourself from this label, and what does artistic maturity on stage mean to You?
I have never really seen myself as a child prodigy and haven’t paid much attention to that label. From a very young age, I believed I just needed to focus deeply on the music, work on myself, and strive to improve every day. I think part of an artist’s maturity is being able to separate oneself and one’s own image from the music, becoming a true ambassador of the composer’s story. It is a very selfless endeavor. Music is a mirror that reflects the inner world of the composer.
Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is one of the most grand and emotionally charged works in the piano repertoire. How has Your perception of this concerto changed over the time you have been performing it, and what new insights do You discover in it today?
I don’t think my perception of the concerto has changed drastically over the years. My goal has always been to understand the composer’s intentions, and that remains the same. What has likely changed are my artistic abilities, which, of course, develop naturally as one grows and matures in life.
Tchaikovsky’s concerto requires not only virtuosity but also great inner strength and drama. Which moment in the work do You feel is the most personal to You, and why?
I could hardly choose just one or a few moments from this brilliant work by Tchaikovsky; it is a grand story, and every part is equally important to me. But perhaps, if I had to mention one moment that always excites me, it would be the opening of the first movement. It is incredibly grand and instantly recognizable—monumental, full of anticipation and tension, truly emblematic.
How do You prepare Yourself mentally and emotionally for such a large and demanding work as Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1?
I always like to find inspiration by listening to other works by Tchaikovsky, which can definitely be recognized in the concerto—ballets, operas, symphonies… trying to attune myself properly. And of course, lots of practice and thoughtful preparation.
Youth is strongly highlighted in this program—not only through your presence, but also through the young conductor Ukki Sachedina. What does it feel like for You to share the stage with a conductor from Your generation?
Sometimes age is just a number! But being almost the same age makes it easier for me to share my thoughts and ideas. The most important things are compatibility and openness, which I believe we both possess. I am sincerely grateful to Ukki Sachedina for inviting me, and I very much look forward to performing together!
The audience in Ruse is known for being both discerning and warmly supportive of musicians. What do You expect from Your encounter with them, and what would You like them to take away from the concert?
I would like the audience to enjoy a wonderful evening, free from worries, to come with an open mind, to let themselves be immersed in the beautiful program of the concert, and to take home lovely memories.
If You had to invite the audience to this concert in one sentence, how would You describe the experience from the perspective of a soloist on stage?
It will be an intense and heartfelt journey through passion, vulnerability, and beauty—openly shared between the stage and the audience in the hall. Come and experience it with us!
