Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Wiegand
Hi Natalie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I think I was destined to be a musician even though i took some turns away from it through my life (my mom always says I was singing recognizable tunes before I was talking)
I grew up in a musical household. My mom was the church music director (she plays piano, guitar, organ, and is an amazing singer) and she had 6 musical kids, like the Von Trapp family from Sound of Music! Each of us 6 siblings played a different instrument and we were always singing, harmonizing, and playing music together.
I played violin all through my schooling and went to orchestra camps and state competitions. However, when it came time to decide what conservatory I was going to go to, I got cold feet. I realized as much as I loved the violin, I didn’t see myself being a classical musician.
So, I pivoted and went to school to study History, but I told myself I would never give up playing the violin: I wanted to always keep it as a “fun” part of my life.
I was able to keep playing on the side as I went to College & Graduate School to study Social Studies Education and became a History teacher in NYC public and private schools. I would play wedding gigs with my mom or play for the school musicals, so I managed to keep up my music skills as I worked in New York City.
Then, in 2015/2016 I started getting into the music festival & rave scene and fell in love with electronic music. I did not put the pieces together yet, but I realize now that I was finding a new love for music.
In 2019, I moved to LA with my boyfriend. He was searching for a healthier, more outdoor-focused life and I was game for an adventure and change of scenery.
My birthday in 2020 was in April at the start of the pandemic: my boyfriend surprised me with an electric violin! We jammed in our living room along to our favorite dance tracks (he DJs) and a lightbulb clicked for me: I realized how the violin could accompany any genre, and it opened up a whole new world. On a whim, I made a violin Instagram Account (@ViolinVibez) and started posting anything I was working on there.
Over the next 5 years, I slowly started spending more time on violin. I played with my DJ friends, some friends in rock bands, and for friends festivals and weddings. I spent a lot of time learning how to improvise and jam along to my favorite songs. I joined the Creative Strings Academy, led by the amazing Jazz Improvisational Violinist Christian Howes.
My boyfriend Eric also wanted to have more fun with music so we took some classes at Point Blank Music School on Music Production and Composition to learn the more technical side of music so we could record and publish our live sets. Eric and I even made our music duo official this year: Elektric Heart (@elektric.heart)
I am so grateful now for the journey that brought me back to my violin in an organic and authentic way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest struggle for me was the strict classical pedagogy when I was in High School. I remember at one of my orchestra camps, getting a lesson from one of the “top” teachers at a conservatory I was interested in: I felt he was so mean and bereft of joy. I realized then that the vibe of the classical music scene was not for me at that time: I really feared for my mental health if I stayed in that world. I completely admire violinists who went through conservatory: it is such a tough road and you have to have really thick skin. I was not up for it– I wanted violin and music to be fun and joyful, rather than stressful.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a violinist specializing in electronic dance music. I DJ and play my electric violin for upbeat parties and events. I am known for my happy, positive energy and warm tone on the violin.
I am most proud of my ability to learn the technological side of music: I use Ableton to edit and produce my backing tracks and mix my tracks together for my performances like a DJ set.
I play fun remixes of recognizable pop songs so the music sounds fresh and new even though it is still songs you know and love. No cheesy karaoke tracks here!
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I actually got my electric violin as a present from my boyfriend right at the start of Covid (my birthday was April 5)
So for me, Covid taught me how to use “down time” at home to have fun and learn about myself. I spent a lot of time just having fun jamming along to my favorite songs, without any pressure to “perform” and just honing in on what I love, regardless of what’s happening outside of my home. I think that it’s important to spend time getting to know yourself, because in the end, your relationship with yourself is all you can really rely on!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.violinvibez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/violinvibez/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natalie.wiegand/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-wiegand-5998371a6
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nwiega01
- Other: https://www.mixcloud.com/eric-luke/electric-love-wedding/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYbiG3SUTqJJRKvQA5omxj756h4KPHVrTMki2JHnxXM5L2-TXOEu_Vmm4M_aem_Iu1dx3qvd5W1Ne3go7VesA
Image Credits
Jeffrey Neubauer
Nick Hughes
Eric Luke
