Sumina Studer, Violinist and Music Entrepreneur: London’s Hidden Music and Art Spots

Award-winning violinist and music entrepreneur Sumina Studer is a true citizen of the world who has captured the hearts of millions on her various social media platforms. Born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland, Sumina completed her Bachelor’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin and her master’s degree at The Juilliard School in New York. She has now made London her home, building an eclectic career while pursuing various creative projects. TWoA talked to Sumina about her favourite music and art spaces in London, and about social media in the arts and de-pressurising classical music.

What would your perfect London day look like?

Definitely go get brunch with my friends in the morning. Then directly afterwards go to a museum, either to the British Museum – I think it offers so many different options – or my favourite museum, the Courtauld Gallery, which focuses on Impressionist paintings. They also have a really cool gift shop. Afterwards, I think probably grab some food at a grocery shop and take it to Hampstead Heath for a late lunch picnic with my friends and chat about our latest music obsessions, upcoming plans and simply have a good banter. And end the night in Camden going to a jazz club - that would probably be my perfect day.

Do you have a favourite jazz club?

Yes, there is one that is called “The Jazz Café.” Sometimes it’s a jazz club but sometimes it’s an event space with different eclectic music, including South American music, cross-over music. I think it’s really fun. I actually spent my birthday there this year.

What music pieces do you associate with London?

They might not be very classical, actually. Do you know the cellist Abel Selaocoe? He’s very eclectic, he is of South African heritage and he’s combining that with his very classical education, which is just such a perfect representation of what London really is about. I think the different cultures are very integrated and “amongst each other” in London, even more than the way I experienced it in New York, I would say, which speaks volumes.

Abel Selaocoe performs Ka Bohaleng / On the Sharp Side on "Later with Jools Holland."

Do you have a favourite painting or a favourite room in a London museum that you like to go back to?

Yes, the top floor of the Courtauld. Every single time. You start at the bottom of the building, and you work your way up and it’s like a big reward. They have this one painting, Spring, Chatou by Renoir. They have a lot of Impressionist art there as well, which is my favourite type of visual art, I would say. It shows a meadow, and the colours of the shadows and the light – it’s such a beautiful painting.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, *Spring Chatou,* Courtauld Institute. Photo by Sumina Studer

How does your love for art feed you as a musician, and how does your music feed your appreciation of art?

Growing up, my godfather Arturo played an important role. He is kind of like my second father – he is an art collector but also has a gallery and trades with art. I was surrounded with an appreciation of visual arts, but my godfather also studied music, he studied piano and composition in London. He is also a composer, even though this is not the only thing he spends his time on. He was a role model for me to see that all these artistic elements can blend into each other.

I think it is about the inquisitiveness of wanting to cultivate yourself and understanding the different elements that actually inspired the composers of the music that you listen to as well. For example, Impressionist music sounds so similar to how we would describe Impressionist visual art: all the colours and the moods are just blending into each other. It’s so connected.

What are your favourite London music spots? Any insider tips?

There is this concert series which takes place in different UK cities but is based in London. They are called “Through The Noise.” “Through The Noise” brings classical music into non-classical spaces. It could be an abandoned car park, or a club – they use the most interesting places. Abel Selaocoe plays there, Alexandra Whittingham plays there. This would be my insider tip. I think everyone should experience “Through The Noise.”

There is another musical spot, which is actually a café. It’s called the Fidelio Café in Holborn. They are not necessarily just a café because they also host concerts with A-list musicians such as Steven Isserlis, Eric Lu, Nicola Benedetti and all kinds of incredible classical musicians. You can buy a ticket for a concert in this very intimate café setting, but you also get a three-course meal. This is probably more of a date night type of thing to do, but that would be one of my favourite places as well.

You lived several years in New York. How would you compare the classical music scenes in New York and London?

I find London to be one of the most possibility-rich classical music spaces. There is the chance for grassroots organisations, for more underground classical music organisations, for very niche cross-over things that are still high-level. Everything is sprouting up here. In New York, a lot of musicians just have to leave the big city because they can’t actually afford to live there anymore - an issue that I am worried will happen in London too, but it is looking better here at the moment. And Manhattan is geographically limited, it can’t spread outward as much as London, whereas London has major cultural cities in closer proximity, which allows for more touring and performing possibilities for musicians. What ends up happening is there are less artists being able to make New York City artistic. Also, the funding systems are so different. In the US, so many institutions are privately funded, which totally influences their artistic output such as repertoire choices due to wanting to please subscription bases. There are not enough contemporary composer commissions being made, and often times, the same composers and the same symphonies are being programmed into the concert season, just because they want to please the audience when, in reality, they should also be showing the audience what they didn’t yet know what they wanted! In London, I find that risk taking and boundary pushing happens a lot more.

Any other artsy insider tips for London?

My favourite concert hall in the whole world is actually in London: The Wigmore Hall. The acoustics are just incredible. It’s just a very special feeling to be in that hall because it’s not too big but just big enough to feel mesmerised by all the details of the hall itself. And, of course, they always have incredible musicians perform there.

You are also very stylish – any London fashion tips?

To be honest, I’m a bit boring, I usually just order online. But increasingly, since moving to London, I do a lot more second-hand shopping such as through Vinted, the online thrifting app that’s popular here. Every charity shop - that is what they call thrift shops here - has incredible things in every part of the town. Londoners in general are quite stylish, so it’s easy to find this on a budget in thrift shops, just browsing with your friends, without actually looking for anything. That’s always a great time.

You have a great, very popular social media presence. What advice would you give to young artists about using social media, both as consumers and as communicators?

As consumers, I think setting boundaries for yourself is always very important and I don’t just mean cutting down on screen time, because we always say that but sometimes you just feel like doom scrolling anyway. So with boundaries, I particularly mean: whose information do you actually let yourself consume. Every spring, I have a bit of a “social medial following cleanse” so I can really re-evaluate: do I want to follow the people I actually follow or who would I like to mute, because there is that feature, too, and it’s okay to use it. I think that’s really important as a consumer.

As a creator, I think social media is the most effective and budget-friendly marketing tool you can have for yourself – it’s also where you have the most control over your content, which is very important. To have that power over what you are putting out – that is a blessing in today’s day and age. So: use it wisely and make use of it to connect with your community. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about.

I just recently founded my own social media management company named “ANIMUS.” It’s a social media management company specialised in classical musicians because I really believe social media can be life changing - I experienced it myself. And “ANIMUS” in Latin means “the spirit, motivation, liveliness.” But it also happens to be my name, Sumina, backwards.

Your versatility and vision are inspiring. But as a young person training to be an artist, it can be easy to close yourself to an open perspective on life and to develop a sort of tunnel vision where you stress about narrow goals you feel you have to achieve. Looking back, what advice would you give to your younger self?

Learn to prioritise. Try to find a good balance between switching your brain off and relaxing and when it’s hustle time. Because I think a lot of times I felt – because music is a tool of expression - I was constantly quite critical of my work per se, my music. Sometimes, you’ve just got to organise a sight-reading party and jam with friends, improvise and go to a concert not for the sake of “can I learn something from this violin concerto interpretation” but rather “I just want to go to a concert, a random concert, just for enjoyment.” Sometimes, I wasn’t actually able to do that. And I really wish that I had sooner taken care of this balance and this ability to switch off and simply enjoy. And then, there’s practice mode. Because I do understand that “practice mode” can be in and outside the practice room, but when it’s “on” all the time, it can really make things crunchy, a little hard on you. I wish I had consciously made the decision to be able to switch on and switch off a little bit better.

Any upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?

I’m joining my friends at Florian Leonhard Fine Violins as an instrument dealer! Having played on great instruments throughout my career myself such as on Stradivari, Storioni and Camilli violins, stringed instruments are something I completely nerd out on and it’s my mission to help other musicians find their perfect instrument match to best be able to express themselves with. I’m really excited for this new chapter at Florian’s.
I’m also hosting my first public sight-reading party this month - we’re calling it the “Music Party.” I share and post about sight-reading parties sometimes on my social media and often get messages from followers who just want to be part of this carefree music making, because there aren’t many spaces where the “depressurising” of classical music is at the forefront of a classical music event. That’s what I’m hoping to do with a public sight-reading party where everyone can just get together, jam along, have fun and not care about perfect intonation and all that stuff. To level out and bring together the musicians who do music professionally with the amateur musicians, so we can all just enjoy music making for the fun of it!

Click here to buy tickets for Sumina and Laure’s Music Party.

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