Child Prodigy

"Nobody expected me to be a professional musician at all," says Filip Pogady.

But his parents were both amateur pianists who "figured classical music should be part of basic education, and playing an instrument was something [their children] should at least have an idea about."

So, at the age of 7, growing up in Austria after moving from Slovakia, Pogady became a violinist for two reasons: His sister had also taken up the piano, and he wanted to be different. And his cousin had quit the violin, so a scaled-down child's instrument was available.

By the age of 10 or 11, "it was completely clear to me what I wanted to do with my life," he adds. "I am an obsessive person, so once I get into something, I have to keep pushing. Then the competitive factor came in to it. I wanted to be the best of the studio; that's the first goal as a violinist. Later it turned into the music and the fascination with the physical aspects of playing."

This weekend, Pogady and the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra will play Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto -- according to a survey by Bachtrack, the third most-played classical composition in 2016, after Beethoven's fifth and seventh symphonies. It doesn't come from one of his favorite composers -- he's a Bach, Beethoven and Mozart musician -- but it is one of his favorite pieces of music, one he describes as "close to my heart."

Debuted in December of 1881 in Vienna, critics say of the concerto that "Tchaikovsky's lyric gift has seldom seemed so natural, flowing effortlessly through all three movements." Pogady says simply: "I've been listening to it since I was a child."

Pogady was just 11 when he made his solo debut with an orchestra in Vienna after winning the Tsusuki Violin Competition as the youngest contestant. He was also honored with special prizes by the Austrian String Society and the Raiffeisen Bank for extraordinary results in the Prima La Musica competition, which he won three times.

But it was a visit to a classical music festival in Canada that defined Pogady's career. Israeli violinist, violist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman, widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of the second half of the 20th century, was teaching master classes.

"I played for him, and he invited me to study with him at the Manhattan School of Music," Pogady tells the story, awe still in his voice. "I was completely starstruck! This idol of mine invites me to study with him! Just listening to this guy in lessons was fascinating to me!"

After earning his master's degree, Pogady says he pondered going back to Austria or staying in New York City -- and "the second option seemed more exciting." He got his artist's visa.

"I love to play as much as possible, obviously," he says in his perfect, almost unaccented English. "Careerwise, I am nowhere close to where I want to be. But I am happy to see a certain momentum happening."

NAN What's Up on 02/10/2017