Sotiroula Ttava is a young musician and music teacher. She followed her instinct that led her to different parts of the world to study and train professionally. The destination point? Always music. She was born in Limassol, Cyprus, in 1997. At the age of 17, she completed her Diploma in Music Theory and Piano Level 8 in Cyprus and then continued her musical studies at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom, graduating in Music. Since her graduation in 2018, she has been working as a professional pianist, performer, and music teacher. She listens to any type of music as long as it evokes emotions and enjoys exercising, going to the theater, and taking a nice afternoon walk with her dog on the beach. She likes reading books on personal development and describes herself as fun, perfectionist, reliable and sometimes stubborn. Let's get to know her better in this interview!
When and why did you decide to be a performer?
It wasn’t an actual decision, it kind of came out naturally through the years. I remember myself as a kid, I was always nervous whenever I had to perform in front of an audience or especially during my piano exams, my heart was always beating so fast I felt like it could explode or even my hands were shaking as I was playing. However, I never gave up, I really wanted to play the piano and enjoy my performances with less stress. As I was growing older the more I exposed myself to public performances and I eventually learned how to control my performance anxiety so I can finally enjoy what I play. After exploring this field deeply while in my music studies, I understood and accepted that performance anxiety is something that happens to a lot of musicians, including myself, and that we shouldn’t be embarrassed about it or, even worse, give up because of it. We can always speak and receive the appropriate help and guidance, or we can try by ourselves to overcome our fears by exposing ourselves, believe in our capabilities and enjoy our performances. Now, at age 26, I can confidently say that I really love performing!
What is your favorite genre to sing?
Depending on my mood I sing accordingly, but only while I am taking my shower, or cleaning, or driving! Joking, but I mostly play the piano, I do not sing during my performances. My favorite genres to play are Pop, Soul, Jazz. I love playing songs in a way that my audience - and I - can feel relaxed, loved, and enjoy their time. I also like playing classical pieces that are similar to Chopin’s style, like Ludovico Einaudi’s music is for example, and I love playing Chopin of course.
What have you studied and how important has your education been in your career?
At the age of 17 I completed my Grade 8 Music Theory and Piano Performance Diploma here in Cyprus and then I continued my music studies at the University of Leeds graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. My educational background has been very helpful in many aspects of my life, both personally and professionally as I currently work both as a music teacher and a piano performer. As I mentioned above, one important thing for me, that I am proud of overcoming, is my performance anxiety. I always found psychology to be a very interesting subject so, during my studies, music psychology piqued my interest! That was when I decided to learn more about performance anxiety and how our brain and body works while we listen to or play music. This knowledge has eventually helped me realize that I had to fight my performance anxiety if I wanted to be “free” on stage and enjoy my performances. Another important field for me was the knowledge I have gained around how music and arts can help in enhancing the lives of children with autism and learning difficulties. Now that I work as a music teacher at a primary school, I have the blessing to be teaching some children with autism and learning difficulties as well. I get to witness everyday how music can help them develop their creativity and express themselves through music activities!
We saw that you studied in the UK, how was the whole experience of studying abroad?
I’m not gonna lie, it was the best and toughest years of my life, all at the same time! I love Leeds and I miss this city so much. It was a journey full of ups and downs but also full of many good memories! Apart from my studies, my life in Leeds included a love story, friendships, heartbreaks, excitements, disappointments, learning from mistakes, dancing, exploring Yorkshire and so much more! It was a life-changing experience that taught me a lot of life lessons, sometimes in a nice way and sometimes in a hard way. Being a music student in the UK has changed my personality, my point of view in life and career path, my way of thinking, even my planning and organizing skills. It was a milestone of who I am today and, I must admit that, seeing myself 8-9 years ago, I am very proud of the person I have become today. Studying abroad was one of my best life-decisions, it teaches you a lot of life-skills! So don’t be afraid to travel, get out of your comfort zone. Try to live alone and independent, meet new people and try new hobbies. That’s the best way to learn more about yourself and love yourself more!
How do you approach the teaching world?
I personally believe that teaching is not only a skill that you can develop and become better at it. Teaching, I believe, is a quality that you naturally possess and of which you can transmit your knowledge and passion to others with love, excitement and kindness. Either students will love you for the person and teacher you are or they will dislike you because you don’t own the teaching quality as a person; and that’s ok! As soon as you realize this, I suggest you accept it and find what truly excites you! In my case, I have worked at different jobs rather than music and I remember feeling emotionally tired by these jobs, but for music teaching? I was feeling so excited to finish with my studies and start teaching music. So, as soon as I came back to Cyprus I started step by step and I loved what comes with it. The love and energy you receive from your students are just magical feelings! I started by giving private piano and music theory lessons to children and adults, and also attended some seminars about teaching piano to younger ages. After 4 years of private music teaching, I found a job opportunity to work as a music teacher at a Private Primary School and now I love waking up in the morning and feeling excited to go to work!
Your favorite part of teaching music?
Getting to know and interacting with my students. I feel so happy and proud of them, especially when I see them coming to class happy and leaving excited, or when they learn how to play an instrument. It’s a blessing to witness their progress and how all children are different, think and learn differently from one another. Children really surprise you with their personalities, they even sometimes "teach" you life-lessons by their actions!
Who are your favorite artists and what are the songs that left their mark on you?
When people ask me this question I always stop for a while and try to think who my favorite artist is. I really don’t have any, or must I say I do not have only one! I guess this happens because I listen to different music genres, mostly depending on my current life situation or for a specific period of time, so I get to have some favorite artists or songs that I repeatedly listen to. Now for example, based on my history on spotify playlist, I can say that some of my favorite artists are Miley Cyrus, Marina Satti, Marina Spanou, Elton John, and Il Volo. A song that immediately comes to mind that has left a mark on me is “Damn your eyes” by Etta James.
How would you describe the music industry in Cyprus?
With some hesitation, I shall say that we are on a moderate stage regarding the music industry in Cyprus. I truly believe that due to our culture, the arts in general suffer in this island. Despite the fact that Cyprus is just a small island, we have a big percentage of people who either learn how to play a musical instrument or singing, but eventually in most cases they don’t follow it professionally because it is not “a real job”. Only in the last decade have I seen young people following arts as their future career. I am happy to see that more and more young Cypriot artists have started creating their own musical path here in Cyprus and abroad, sharing their original music, performing in music concerts by Cypriot composers or they put on a musical theater performance. As far as I know, we do not have any Cypriot record companies/labels, or any music industry support services. We are still behind on this matter but I believe that step by step we will evolve.
Do you think that being from Cyprus influences or has influenced your career regarding working opportunities?
I haven’t worked outside Cyprus, so I can’t say whether my nationality influences my working opportunities or not. But the lack of opportunities here in Cyprus surely affects my career path. In order to be working today as a full-time musician in teaching and performing, I had to chase and don’t stop chasing people and creating opportunities to achieve my goals, regardless of comments such as “you can’t make a living by being only a musician” or “you must also find another job”. I never gave up and I continued creating my own music path as I dreamed of it. And I must say that I didn’t achieve everything on my own. Of course you have to put in the work, but one important ingredient for success is the people you choose to work with, because they surely affect your career development!
What are your future projects?
Currently we are working as a duo and we perform at weddings and private events. A project that’s started and going well is the addition of a saxophonist to perform with us at the events. And one of our future ambitious goals is to manage to travel and perform abroad, either at festivals, weddings, hotels, or private events.
Do you have any suggestions for others who want to do your same job?
I suggest that if you wake up feeling happy and excited about it, then do it! Do not listen to what others might tell you to change your mind, do not let them make you feel less capable of what you already are. They are not you and only you are responsible for your life choices as well as your career path. Believe you can do it, be determined and create your own story because I know you can do it! Create the opportunities you need and don’t make the mistake of waiting for the opportunities to come alone, because most probably they will never come.
Do you have a song in your native language to suggest to our readers?
A song that I really love listening to is called Ax Triantafyllia Mou, translated “Oh, my rose”, by the Cypriot musician and composer Costas Cacoyannis. It speaks about love, dreams, and hope for a better life. Also, check out a band called Monsieur Doumani. They write folk Cypriot music with a twist, very interesting!
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