Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Mayfield.
Kate, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Music has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. I began violin lessons when I was four years old because my mom asked me if I wanted to and I said yes (I don’t remember this, it’s just what my mom tells me)! From then on, I attended private and group lessons, music camps, and competitions, and was a member of many youth orchestras and chamber groups. I practiced independently almost every day of my childhood. I was asked to play at church services, weddings, funerals, and restaurants as I got older. Playing music with other people was something I especially enjoyed growing up; it helped me bond with people and make new friends.
When I was 15, I was diagnosed with depression. This caused me to stop doing all the things I loved, which included playing the violin. I decided I wanted to quit playing forever, so I told my private teacher this. Surprised, he told me I shouldn’t give up completely, as I had too much to lose. Instead, he compromised by giving me easier music to work on and expecting me to practice less between lessons. Even though I was frustrated by his response, I decided to listen to him. I played my violin, but only occasionally. Months of this went by, and music was almost gone from my life.
One day during this time, I stumbled across a piece of music from a Disney movie on Spotify and was instantly captivated. This kickstarted my exploration of cinematic music, which was a genre I hadn’t studied in depth before. I listened to all the soundtracks of all of my favorite movies, being so moved by the performances. This music was so enchanting to me, I remember spending hours a day listening to different soundtracks. I was obsessed with all of the interesting compositions I was finding, as they filled me with such a powerful range of emotions. After a year of feeling hopeless, this music made me excited about life again.
Becoming increasingly passionate about cinematic music, I started wondering if I could be a part of this incredible art for a living. I began researching music schools around the country and looking at the audition requirements. I quickly realized that I was extremely behind in the audition preparation process – most people who want to go to a music school are preparing for these auditions years in advance. I had just taken a year off of playing and the auditions were just months away. Despite feeling incredibly overwhelmed, I decided to commit and began practicing violin for hours a day, which was more than I had ever done.
After a long year of practicing and auditioning, I was admitted to four music schools. I ended up choosing the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which is where I am currently studying. I have one more year left of my undergraduate degree in which I am majoring in violin performance. What I love about SFCM is its location – it’s right across the street from the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, Opera, and Jazz. Additionally, it’s nearby many regional orchestras that are always looking to hire substitute players. Being in the heart of downtown San Francisco, there are a lot of other work opportunities for performing musicians, such as weddings, parties, and restaurants.
Though I have been freelancing since high school, my career started picking up once I was in San Francisco. I created a website for myself, started advertising, contacting contractors, taking auditions, and making connections. Just in the last year, I’ve been lucky to perform with the San Francisco Ballet, SFJAZZ, Utah Symphony, Ballet West, California Symphony, and Vallejo Symphony. My school has also given me valuable performing experience, as I’ve been Concertmaster of the SFCM Opera Orchestra for the last two years, performed in two musical theater shows, and performed with the SFCM Symphony. In addition to performing live, I’ve also gotten to record some movie soundtracks, songs, library recordings, and the radio.
I love playing all types of genres and have a very open mind about what gigs to accept. This makes my career pretty exciting, I’ve played for some unique events. Seeing my music positively impact listeners is what I love most about my job – it is so rewarding to bring what I love to those around me. I’m excited to see where my violin will take me next and could not be more grateful for how it’s turned out so far!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have been very lucky throughout my journey, I am so thankful for all the opportunities that I’ve been given. However, it’s also had its difficult times. The first is that I was a part of the class of 2020, so I graduated high school and started college during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was a hard time for everyone, especially musicians. The absence of live performances took away almost all work options for us. Weddings, concerts, parties, and almost all other live events were canceled. This made my first year in San Francisco very slow as a freelancer, I struggled to find work in the city.
Violin is also an extremely competitive instrument, the talent levels of players and expectations from audiences are so high, it can be very overwhelming when I start to think of who I am competing with. If I compare myself too much, I lose sight of my dreams as a performer and it is very devastating. I try to focus on the incredible things I’ve done this far, my unique talents and what I bring to the table, and what things I will accomplish in the future if I keep working hard and thinking outside the box.
Aside from external obstacles, learning how to be my boss has been a huge learning experience. A big aspect of this has been getting used to the inconsistent flow of work – some weeks I get too many gigs I can accept while other weeks I get none. I’ve had to learn to manage my finances so that during the weeks of no gigs, I can still pay the bills. Other parts of this have included learning how to advertise my business, advocate for myself, be a professional in all circumstances, and manage my performing schedule to coincide with school, other jobs (I teach a fitness class and work at Lululemon part-time), a social life, and time to rest.
Some weeks, I have said yes to too many things, while other weeks I denied too many things. Having had no formal training in these types of things created quite the learning curve for me, but I finally feel comfortable managing it all and have a good understanding of the lifestyle I have created for myself.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an acoustic and electric violinist for any events and projects – live and recorded! I’ve played a wide range of gigs, including with professional symphonies, in operas, ballets, Broadway shows, jazz venues, bars, hookah lounges, restaurants, weddings, proposals, funerals, churches, retirement homes, family reunions, movie soundtracks, recorded songs, on the radio, and more!
I’m unique because I do not limit myself to one genre or playing style. Many violinists are afraid to stray from classical playing, while others only enjoy fiddling or pop. I love it all! Though originally I’m classically trained, I’ve practiced playing all different genres so that I can keep an open mind about the music I perform. As long as my listeners enjoy what they hear, I will play it!
A few examples of things clients have asked of me are to improv to pop music, sightread classical music hours before a concert, learn a specific song for their wedding, and record their compositions for a song they wrote. I also enjoy arranging music for violin, so many clients have asked me to write a version of their favorite pop song for a string quartet or play pop melodies with backing tracks.
My quality of sound is one of my strengths as well, I have often been told it is powerful, rich, and deeply emotional. Over the years, my teachers emphasized the importance of projecting my sound for large audiences while also displaying a wide range of emotions. I believe that I have mastered these techniques through practice and experience.
Something else that sets me apart from others is my ability to connect with people. A lot of violinists lack the social aspect of being a musician and entrepreneurs. It’s more than just time spent in the practice room, music is about connecting people through entertainment and emotions. I love spending time talking with audience members and fellow musicians before and after my performances, music is one of the best ways to find common ground between even the opposite of people.
Though I am very proud to have played with prestigious groups as a 21-year-old, I am most proud of the emotions I can provoke through my performances. When listeners come to me crying, telling me how much my sound moved them, that is when I am most thankful for my career and proud of my hard work. I am so honored that I get to be a part of such special moments in strangers’ lives, and that people trust me to set the mood for their events. I am constantly reminded of what the most important aspects of life are, it helps me stay present in my own life.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
As a 21st-century musician, all of my sheet music is on an app called forScore, and I could not live without it! I have access to thousands of scores through one device instead of having to carry around many pounds’ worth of paper music.
It also makes it easier to transfer scores between clients and other musicians. I can mark up the score as much as I want and delete notes if I need to.
Contact Info:
- Website: katemayfieldviolin.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katemayviolin/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@katemayfieldviolin7715
Image Credits
Emilia Perrotta (@emiliaaperrotta)
