Interview with musician Nieves González on her upcoming performance at IS Ruhr Unplugged “Viva la Vida”

Bassila: Could you briefly introduce yourself and share how you came to be a teacher at our school?

Nieves: I am Ms .Nieves and I am a music teacher and a pianist too. I was covering Ms.Cristel last year, teaching Spanish and also a few years ago, I was covering some music lessons in the Villa in the primary and this year I am teaching Performing Arts and Spanish in the Secondary Years.

Katharina: What type of piano music will you be playing at the upcoming Unplugged Event?

Nieves: We will listen to several styles of music. I will start with Albéniz, the sweet española Granada. Granada is my home town. I come from Granada, so that’s why I decided to start with Albéniz. And then, I will play some Flamenco, Pop and Jazz. I will be singing and playing at the same time, in Spanish and in English. We will go through several styles of music.

Bassila: What inspired you to start playing the piano?

Nieves: I love music since I was a baby. My parents say that I loved music and listened to music when I was only a few months old. I remember that once I was at home and I watched a girl of 10 years old on TV –  I was 6 and I saw her playing the piano and I really fell in love with this music, with the sound and the expression that she had. So I decided to start the piano but it was not possible until I was 9. So I started playing piano with 9! I love teaching and I wanted to be a teacher, so the music and the teaching are where my passions are.

Katharina: Are you a piano teacher?

Nieves: Yes.

Bassila: What are you looking forward to at your performance at the Unplugged event?

Nieves: Well, I want the audience to enjoy the music. I would like to express myself and to project something to the people – it is very important when listening to music live, in this case piano and voice. The music should go directly to their emotions and that the music touches the people. This will be my goal.

Katharina: What advice would you give to young people interested in playing piano?

Nieves: They start trying and sometimes it is difficult and hard but at the same time it’s amazing and an amazing journey.

Bassila: What was your greatest achievement during your piano journey?

Nieves: I have a lot, but I remember when I graduated from my professional degree in piano, I had to decide on one piece to play in the auditorium in Granada in a concert, so I was thinking and I didn’t know what to play because I liked a lot of pieces. At the end, I was watching a movie and I listened to a piece and I fell in love with the piece. I decided to study it in only one month, so I played piano like five or six hours a day for one month because I really wanted to play the final concert of my graduation and I loved playing it. I remember when I finished, I almost cried but it was very very emotional.

Katharina: And have you done other performances in the past?

Nieves: Well, yes, from when I was a little girl, I loved performances in general. I did drama in school and I loved to act in front of an audience, I love to sing, I love to dance. All performances for me are a way to express myself and a way to communicate with the audience. Looking forward to the Unplugged very much!

You can see Nieves live at IS Ruhr Unplugged on 5 March. Come along! We are looking forward to seeing you.