Joshua Bell – HuffPost 1.9.12

Mike Ragogna: Joshua, what advice might you have for new artists, now that we’ve talked a bit about your own history?

Joshua Bell: Well, there’s no blanket advice except for that you have to follow the music that you love. That can be a different journey for every single person. I’ve been accused or praised for doing or choosing repertoire outside of the classical field. I’ve been accused or praised for not tackling certain repertoire of modern atonal music, for instance, because I didn’t connect with it. But you have to forget about what people say or demand of you. You have to follow your own path. That’s the most important thing, and you have to do it for the right reasons. If fame and success come, that’s great, but it’s not why we’re musicians. We’re musicians because it’s the greatest thing on earth, to be able to make music and be an artist.