Benjamin Kreith, violin

Before there was SF, there was:

Davis, California where playing the violin was somehow considered kind of cool. And I was lucky enough as a teenager to study with Jorja Fleezanis in SF, which definitely made it cool. Then Boston, Toronto, La Coruña, Barcelona, New York City, Montana, and then back home to California. Sort of the salmon thing apparently although hopefully I won’t die so quickly after returning to my native waters. Along the way I studied with lots of wonderful musicians including Malcolm Lowe and Lorand Fenyves. Louis Krasner was a huge influence on me at an impressionable age - and later on Kato Havas when I realized how much I had to learn to become a teacher.

Why music?

Because it absorbs me. I’ve been reading about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow psychology” and music gives me a way to enter into flow state.

You’re a nerd.

Obviously

When do you spend time away from the violin?

In the swimming pool. Can’t take my violin there.

If you could be the best in the world at something, what would it be?

I’d love to be a skilled boater. That’s not about being better than anyone else. It’s about becoming good enough to engage with beautiful water.

What are you like before your morning coffee?

Often involved in making coffee. I like to grind by hand, which is a nice start to the day.