Roland Schoelinck

What does music mean to you personally?

Music has always been part of me

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

The music is more than just a fantasy ... it is deep, spiritual ... it can be a reflection of the soul, a vibration of the cosmos! ... just listen to all Mozart, all Bach, Fauré's Requiem or the jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani ...!

If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?

Maybe a filmmaker

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about the future?

I do not agree, many of my young students love and want to play classical music ! I'm optimistic !

What do you envision the role of music to be in the 21st century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

Even if the techniques of compositions have changed, (although I prefer tonal music and good old sheet music), the role of music will always be the same, whether it is an accompaniment of pictures or a magical way to escape to the stars! ... that lives music forever!

Do you think that the musician today needs to be more creative? What is the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

For me, concerning the musician interpreter it is not a question of creativity but of sincerity, a restitution of what he understood, of what he drew from the soul of the composer ... the interpreter is a "spiritual medium" between the composer and the audience! So, the composer is also a „medium“ between the Source of inspiration and the musician performer ! Yes, of course, creativity ... but only to serve the work ... and so embellish it!

Do you think we as musicians can do something to attract the younger generation to music concerts? How would you do this?

If we write or play music with our heart and our soul, ... if we really have something to say, young people will come to us and some will want to imitate us!

Tell us about your creative process. What is your favorite piece (written by you) and how did you start working on it?

For an orchestral music, I often look for pictures ... like the composition of a movie's music ... then, like a painter, I make a sketch, some features, an outline ... (the melody) , then come the set, the decor (the instrumentation) ... and then, the colors (the orchestration) …/ My favorite piece? ... ask a mother who has a large family who is her favorite child! impossible ! even those that are not quite successful .... they come from my heart! So !!! :-)

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

Personally, in my early childhood, I heard at home only popular music or jazz, it was first through cinema that I discovered symphonic music, then classical music through my studies. piano ... there will always be, I really believe, young people who will turn to classical music, whether through cinema, the family environment, music studies or curiosity! I'm confident !

Do you think about the audience when composing?

Always ! When I compose or train at the piano, there is always "in my head" a room full of listeners who listen to me ! But the first chills must be for me (and my wife who hears everything from the living-room) ! :-)

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

It all depends on the inspiration and / or requests ... my next composition will be, I think, a music for Belgian folklore