This week’s NY Entertainer of the Week is Gregory Harrington. Check out our interview with him!

• Twitter
• AOL
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Tumblr
• Google+
• Buffer

upfrontNY: Can you tell us about how you got your start playing the violin?

Gregory Harrington: I am from Dublin, Ireland. My mother and I were in the audience for an international jumping equestrian event and there was a string quartet playing. I heard the sound of the violin and I was so very drawn to it. I just took her arm and told her I wanted to play it. I was 4 years old at the time. She went the next day and bought me a tiny violin and I started lessons a month later.

upfrontNY: At what age did you know that this was something you wanted to pursue as a career?

Gregory Harrington: I had this conversation with my teacher Kevin Kiely in the Royal Irish Academy of Music. I was 12 at the time and I bought him a Beethoven Violin Concerto which is the pinnacle of what everyone wants to achieve and I told him I want to play it. He asked me, would you like to be able to play this in your living room for the rest of your life or in a concert hall. I said to him if I could play it in the concert hall lets go with that. That’s when I reazlied that’s what i wanted to do.

upfrontNY: What was it like growing up in Ireland and pursuing music there?

Gregory Harrington: It was wonderful. Believe it or not I wasn’t exposed to the traditional music as most others were because it was strictly classical. The traditional side of it is something I have come to appreciate so much during my time in the states.

upfrontNY: What was the transition like going from Dublin to New York to pursue your music?

Gregory Harrington: New York seemed like the logical choice. I came over here to study with a specific teacher, Sally Thomas. I studied with her for a number of years and then I went and studied with Erick Friedman. He was a genius and made it so simply black and white for me. That was the reason I came over.  I think in New York it is such a cosmopolitan and international melting pot of cultures. I think the entrepenur in me would always go find opportunity and that doesn’t exsist in the same way at home. You can’t get on the Carnegie Hall stage at home. It is a very different culture. It is phenomal. New York is a 24/7 phonemonal spot. The opportunity to be a solo violinist and travel around the world made it so much easier here.

upfrontNY: Do you have a highlight of your career?

Gregory Harrington: I always change the goal post. I will be very aggressive and will push myself internally with what my goals are, but once I achieve them then the goal posts change. I think there are a couple of performances that are just stand out. I think one of them was the last time I played at Carnegie Hall. It was the fourth time and having family and friends, especially my dad there. I have come to a level of achievement that I am so proud of, and I think that was the springboard for this album. I feel the sky is the limit and the only limitations are what you set on yourself.

upfrontNY: Do you have one dream venue, city, or country you want to perform in?

Gregory Harrington: That is a tough one because I have been very fortunate and lucky that I have played in a number of beautiful venues and iconic moments that I am really proud of. Whether thats Carnegie Hall which is one of my favorite venues, to a sporting event in Soldier’s Field for the Irish rugby team which was different or for any of the Presidents or Vice Presidents of my country or the US. There are a lot of beautiful memories. I think that there is still a lot to do

upfrontNY: Do you have a go to song that you like to perform?

Gregory Harrington: I think that changes. It used to be the Beethoven Violin Concerto. My dad had brought it back from London for me when I was 10 and I had brought it to my teacher when I was 12. That was one that I loved. Your style, shape, and personal opinion changes. I think at the moment because the album is coming out in June, Leonard Cohen “Hallelujah”. It is the one that I love. It has been a 3 year journey trying to find the right interpretation of it that is fresh. I am loving when an audience hears it and their reaction. I was very lucky to have seen Leonard Cohen perform in Madison Square Garden. The ability for him to have 20 or 30,000 people in the palm of his hands at the age of 76 was incredible stage presense and everything that you want to have and see as a performer and in the audience.

upfrontNY: Can you tell us about the process of making the video for this?

Gregory Harrington: I think with “Hallelujah” with such an iconic song you have the tendency for people to copy some of the greats that have been done.  I just wanted to create this beautiful black and white video that captured the essence of the piece. I had been working with the incredible director and sitting down and talking about the vision. Something that would keep the audience engaged and visually stimulated. It was a fascinating process. We sat down and had very clear visions for this and I think what we both liked was the attention to detail that you push the edge of who you are to try and create the best product possible.

upfrontNY: Can you tell us about your album coming out in June?

Gregory Harrington: The album is coming out in June and it is dedicated to my dad who passed 3 years ago. It is called Without You. Ranging from “Hallelujah” to “Summertime”,  U2 in there, “With or Without You”. It is love songs reimagined in a different way. No one has really done this on a violin to any level of success before. That is partially what I am trying to do with this. For my fans to be able to sit down, close your eyes, and listen. Whether that is listening to the cd or me performing. I think that is the beauty of any music.  Create something that people can adore and love and pour their own heart into.

upfrontNY: How has this album help you honor your father? Did working on this album help you get through the difficult times of the past few years?

Gregory Harrington: The beauty of this album it took me about 3 years to do. There is one piece on it if you remember the ABC series Lost. It’s called life and death and it is the theme from that and I did an arrangement of that. About 3 weeks after dad past I was doing a tour in China. The last piece at night was this piece “Life and Death” and I would dedicate it to dad every night. A lot of these pieces. He heard some of these in Carnegie Hall when he came over. Some have been a direct result of him not being there. They are very full of emotion and story and hopefully full of connection.

upfrontNY: What advice do you give to children picking up the violin for the first time?

Gregory Harrington: My advice would be first and foremost have fun and enjoy it. There is a bit of repetition that you need to do, got to be fun and creative and imaginative. The teacher is always really important and find a teacher that can give you that. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Every mistake we make is one step closer to getting it right. As classical musicans growing up we are so driven by the fear of making that mistake not having it perfect. With art there is no limit on perfection it could only get better. Enjoy and give your soul and that is how you become this unique voice. If you do that and have fun and maximize your potential I think that is a beautiful thing.

NYC Favorites

• Twitter
• AOL
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Tumblr
• Google+
• Buffer

Favorite NYC Music Venue: Carnegie Hall

Favorite NYC Restaurant: Tacombi

Favorite NYC Irish Pub: My favorite spots for a glass of Guinness – Beckett’s and The Weir

Favorite NYC Memory: That is hard. I have so many beautiful ones. Going into a nice wine bar with friends and talking and chatting and exchanging ideas.

Favorite thing about NYC: I am a tennis fanatic. I love the US open. Every year I go there with friends.

Performances

Follow Gregory Harrington!