Clarissa Pollack's Musical Journey and Offerings
Background
Clarissa started playing violin when she was three years old. Her childhood violin teachers taught in the Suzuki method, which utilizes the same neural pathways for learning to play music as children naturally use for learning language. Taking weekly private and group violin lessons, Clarissa continued her Suzuki training until she was eighteen.
Clarissa first engaged with musical improvisation when she was eleven, guided by her music teacher at Headwaters Academy, bass guitarist Eddie Tsuru. She loved the thrill of entering into the unknown.
In high school Clarissa played in chamber and symphonic orchestras under the direction of violinist Michael Certalic. When she was 16, her orchestras were invited to tour in Europe and together they played in Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague.
While Clarissa earned her Bachelor's of Arts and Performance at the University of Texas at Dallas she played in the University Orchestra under the direction of the late Arkady Fomin. His encouragement and advice still ring in her ears every time she plays!
At university Clarissa embraced her love of singing and graduated cum laude with honors in Vocal Performance. She also joined weekly kirtans and began building her skills as a kirtan violinist.
Clarissa lived at a Bhakti yoga ashram in Australia from 2016 to 2018 and in these years she practiced kirtan, devotional chanting with musical accompaniment, "all day every day." She played her violin with kirtaneers from all over the world and she was invited to play at the Sacred Sound Festival ('17, '18), House of Bliss, and numerous temple festivals. Clarissa has had the honor of supporting Gaura Vani, Sri Prahlada, Janhavi Harrison, Indradyumna Swami, Ohad Rein (Bhakti Party), Edo (Edo & Jo), and more.
Today Clarissa lives in the Hudson Valley, New York and has the great privilege of playing with music makers all over the valley. Clarissa plays on a violin handmade by Bénédicte Friedmann in Cremona, Italy.
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