Music Knows No Boundaries — Elham Al Marzooqui

TMI with Kevin Ryan

This week, Kevin welcomes cellist Elham Al Marzooqi to the show. Elham is the first female cellist in the Emirates, along with being a Senior Legal Counsel for Flash Entertainment. Elham speaks about how she adjusted as a musician during the pandemic to connect with her audience online, and ways that she feels our society could better recognize and help musicians. Elham uses her platform to educate others on the cello and loves connecting and inspiring young women on her YouTube channel. She talks about the importance of lifelong learning, why it’s crucial to go for your dreams no matter what anyone on the sidelines is saying, and how she is constantly pushing outside of her comfort zone.

Takeaways:

[4:41] Elham talks about adjusting to a remote schedule during the pandemic at Flash Entertainment, where she is a Senior Legal Counsel. Like many new remote workers, there are good things about it (no commute) but then situations that call for self-management, such as knowing when to shut work off so you don’t work 24/7.

[11:58] Many people that made their livelihood from playing music were affected during the shutdowns, and these musicians still need help and support.

[17:02] Elham practices the cello at least two hours every day and reminds us that being a musician is such a big commitment of time, energy, and money. Musicians are professionals and have associated costs, and should not be offered just “exposure” to play somewhere anymore.

[22:19] Through Elham’s channels, she likes to connect with women that are in the arts and interested in performing.

[25:29] Musicianship is a lifelong process, and even the greatest ones could always practice to get a little bit better. Elham speaks about it like a sculpture, where you are always chipping away at it and fine-tuning the details.

[25:47] Elham talks about submitting herself for the Amit Peled Online Cello Academy, something that took her out of her comfort zone but made her grow.

[28:50] For Elham, the magic is in just playing, and not in self-promotion. She never set out to be the first of any kind, but focuses on doing what she loves and consistently working at it.

[35:44] You don’t need to wait until conditions are perfect to go for what you want. Your showmanship is going to show while you are building up your craft.

Quotes:

• “When these things shut down, there is a psychological impact that you see play out on every form of social media.” — Kevin
• “The journey is about art and less about self-promotion.” — Elham
• “I am always there to try and perfect my craft.” — Elham
• “You have to have a thick skin.” — Elham
• “I don’t want to look back on my life and regret not doing anything.” — Elham
• “Your showmanship is going to show while you are building up your craft.” — Elham

Mentioned in This Episode:

Elham Al Marzooqi | LinkedIn

Flash Entertainment

Musivv “HomeGROWn Artist of the Year”

Online Cello Academy

Band of Horses

Flash Entertainment