6 Questions with Jonathan Miron
Where did you grow up?
I’ve lived all over – in Taiwan, Singapore, Cincinnati, New Jersey, and NYC. I just hit 14 years in NYC, so definitely consider myself a New Yorker at this point!
What made you realize that music was your path?
When I was a toddler, I would watch laserdisc videos of Yo-Yo Ma performing over and over. I pretty much demanded to play an instrument, so my parents had a cello made for me when I was three. The cello was bigger than I was, so I made the switch to violin pretty rapidly.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Yo-Yo Ma. I love his multifaceted career – from performing in concert halls to fostering cultural exchange through the Silkroad ensemble – and his mission to spread hope through the arts.
Has there been one particular moment in your musical career that you're most proud of?
It’s difficult to just pinpoint one moment, but I am proud of what my duo, ARKAI, was able to pull off at Oliver Beer’s exhibition at The MET Breuer a year ago. We appeared in a number of pop up performances during exhibit hours performing long sets that were completely improvised in conjunction with the sound installation.
What made you want to perform on the Room to Breathe series?
The man himself, Louis Levitt! I’m excited to see what we do with The Weeklies. It’s awesome that we get to make our debut at this concert series.
What’s the next thing for you?
It’s a busy time! I’ll be filming a virtual TED@PMI event with my duo in a couple weeks, so we’re putting the final touches on the original composition that we’ll be performing.