Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashleigh Gordon.
Ashleigh, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Rochester, NY, and remember either drawing, writing stories, making things or making music as a kid. I enjoyed being by myself, alone with my thoughts, and creating something out of anything,
Musically, I started out on piano when I was around 4 years old and absolutely hated it! To this day, I can still remember the sound of my piano teacher’s long red fingernails tapping on the piano keys and the overly simplified exercises she made me practice ad nauseam. My true passion – or so I thought – was the violin. I loved the sound of the instrument and was struck by its magical appeal. I eventually picked it up in the 4th grade through my public school music program and stuck with it through college. It wasn’t until I started dabbling with the violin’s cousin – the viola – which I realized my true passion was with the alto clef.
I moved to Boston to pursue a Master degree in viola performance at New England Conservatory in 2006. Since then, I’ve had the fortune to perform and study abroad in Germany pursing contemporary music; share the stage with countless musicians in chamber music and orchestral performances; and pass on what I’ve learned to eager student’s ages 4 years old and beyond.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I always enjoyed making music. There was (and still is) something so exhilarating about creating emotions, colors, and full-fledged stories from just the sound of my instrument. While I knew I wanted to be a musician, I didn’t know exactly what that would look like. I was encouraged to follow the “typical” route of a classical instrumentalist: land an orchestra job and teach at a college. Neither appealed to me and I found myself fighting with the need to uphold an expectation I didn’t want to fulfill and a desire to explore other musical paths that resonated with me.
After years of wrestling with this, I decided to pursue the latter and take charge of my own musical journey. Intrigued by the thought of running and managing my own organization, I formed my own string trio (Sound Energy) that specialized in performing contemporary classical music, often in collaboration with living composers. In 2014, I co-founded a concert and educational series (Castle of our Skins) that celebrates Black artistry through music. While I am no longer involved in the trio, both allowed me to feel musically fulfilled in different ways and keep me thirsty for new opportunities.
Castle of our Skins – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Castle of our Skins is a concert and educational series in Boston that celebrates Black artistry through music. Regardless of whether we’re in a concert hall or classroom, we encourage our audiences to be curious and explore Black history and culture, often pairing classical music with other artistic disciplines.
Over our five season history, we’ve held panels and lectures related to Black artistry, performed at the Museum of African American History and Roxbury’s Hibernian Hall, led educational workshops in Boston and Bulgaria, and had a ball (quite literally) where attendees were encouraged to become walking works of art. We’ve held college residencies working with students pursuing various degrees and recently collaborated with the New Gallery Concert Series and Boston Lyric Opera on two separate programs exploring identity and liberators. As education really inspires all of our work, we have held composer call for proposals, created a blog dedicated to highlighting people/topics from the African diaspora, and given “edu-tainment” recitals at Copley Library and the Gardner Museum among other locations. What’s most exciting about the organization and the work that we’re doing is the unlimited programming possibilities. If we can dream it, we will work to find a way to make it happen and share it with as many people as possible.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For me, success is when I’ve inspired someone to take action and explore something unfamiliar. I consider it “mission accomplished” when someone whom I’ve interacted with – perhaps a student, stranger, colleague or audience member – is left hungry wanting more information because of our interaction.
Contact Info:
- Address: 7 Bowdoin Ave
Dorchester, MA 02121 - Website: www.CastleSkins.org
- Phone: 4436301638
- Email: castleskins@gmail.com
- Instagram: CastleSkins
- Facebook: CastleSkins
- Twitter: @CastleSkins
Image Credit:
Headshot: Monika Bach Schroeder
String Quartet: Robert Torres Photography
Vocalists in BLACK dresses: Monika Bach Schroeder
Dancer and vocalist and RED dress: Pamela Green
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
