Ada
“You’re strong and you can do it. Persevere and you will overcome any obstacle life throws at you.”
Ada is an award-winning violinist whose talents have taken her to a multitude of countries and allowed her to perform in some of the most prestigious venues around the world. She is passionate about sharing her love for music with others, extending her knowledge and expertise into the area of teaching. In 2020 when the pandemic hit and in-person sessions were no longer at her finger-tips, she challenged herself to come up with a new way to engage with other musicians, creating a highly successful virtual Composition Competition. Her innovative approach and unshakable determination allowed her to broaden the boundaries of her music career, creating a valuable space for other performers to showcase their talents. Meet Ada. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself
A: Hi! My name is Ada and I'm delighted that you're here. Thank you for taking the time to get to know me better.
K: Describe/define yourself in your own words
A: I was born in Poland and wanting to play the violin is the first thing I can remember. Now, having travelled all the way and studied in the UK I call myself a Londoner. I love making music here, I love teaching and seeing how much happiness music brings into people's lives.
K: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
A: I'm very stubborn. One could say that that's my strength. I take every opportunity to learn and experience things in life. If something proves to be difficult, I work even harder to not regret later not giving my all.
K: Tell us a story. Have you had an experience that’s defined you or made you stronger?
A: This is the story about being STUBBORN as you’ve never experienced it before, about beating the lockdown and proving that even the impossible can be achieved with CREATIVE POSITIVITY (and from the comfort of your own couch ;).
Let me take you back in time to a very boring morning in May 2020. Waking up late and still sleepy, I turned on the coffee machine and could barely make myself open a breakfast oat bar. Nothing better than to start another day of lockdown in style, I thought.
I ran through the day’s activities in my mind: no violin teaching today (face to face lessons were banned and most of my students didn’t really believe in continuing online; neither did I to be honest).
I even opened my diary (oh these good old habits) to confirm: today – blank, tomorrow – blank, next week – blank (let me tell you in advance, all of my concerts for the year were cancelled so I might as well give my pretty diary back to the shop where I got it from).
PERFECT, I thought, no need to wash my hair today, Oh joy.
Where is all of this going? – I asked myself. I couldn’t push myself to spend another day watching another Netflix boxed set with a glass of Rose at the end of it as a reward for surviving.
Let me tell you something about myself (I promise I’ll be quick!). I was born in Poland in a town with a name that even most Polish people struggle to pronounce. Early on I felt like I either take things in my own hands or nothing will ever happen to me. SO I DID: first securing a place in a boarding music school almost 200km from home and later auditioning for the even more competitive Royal College of Music in London.
All together that’s 20 years of violining, at least four-five hours of daily practice and two part-time jobs to support six years of study in another country. AFTER ALL OF THIS I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEFEATED BY A PANDEMIC? WE’LL. SEE. ABOUT. THAT.
People ask what inspired me to create an online competition that went global during the worldwide pandemic in 2020. It’s simple: an elephant coffee cup and a comfortable sofa. Oh, and I decided that if I couldn’t do anything for myself I would do EVERYTHING I COULD to help others.
On 1st July 2020 I asked ALL COMPOSERS out there (no matter what age or nationality) to submit a four—six minute piece for baroque violin and harpsichord. I simply shared a post on Instagram, Facebook and voilà!
My fiancé and I made a bet on how few would actually take part in the competition, but the results LEFT US SPEECHLESS. When I saw compositions being submitted from Poland, Israel, Austria, Mexico, Iran, Peru, Sweden, Thailand, Canada, US, Indonesia and counting…I burst into tears.
LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING: you’re strong and you can do it. Persevere and you will overcome any obstacle life throws at you.
K: What is one piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
A: You're good enough. You're enough. Don't listen to other people who don't even know you. Believe in yourself and your abilities.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
A: It means incredible strength and perseverance. It means choosing love and being kind to one another, supporting each other.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say if they were here now?
A: Zuzana Ruzickova - a story of one hundred miracles. I would like to say how much of an inspiration she was and that her incredible spirit and generous heart gave me strength to create.
Please do visit www.adawitczyk.com/competition2021 to see what I mean :)
Watch Ada perform here.