The Cellist Who Became A Ceramicist | Ken Freudigman | Episode 781

Ken Freudigman | Episode 781

San Antonio Symphony Principal cellist Kenneth Freudigman found clay in February of 2019 and has become obsessed with forms and glazes! When Ken is not performing, teaching, conducting, biking, or running you can find him making a mess in his ceramics studio!!

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How do you see the relationship between music and ceramics?

Well I find both of them , for me personally, creative outlets of my personal expression. I went into music because I had a passion to express the music to someone else, to share, and so in many ways I see the same thing when I am creating a cup. A cup is such a personal vessel and having the creation to be able to pass on to someone else, for me they are almost identical for where they come from. It’s a passion to create and pass on to someone else.

If ceramics were divided into genres, where would you put your creativity, your ceramics?

Oooo. That’s interesting. Traditional? I think my forms right now, I am trying to recreate classic shapes. There are some books that I have had where they show ancient pots and they are just very simple forms. Although sometimes in my glazes I do things that are not at all traditional. I love color, as I think you have seen in a lot of my pots. I love how they flow. There is one that I have done that is based on the artist Mondrian, where the pot is actually his primary colors and it has lots of very block colors on it. Where would I put it? I don’t know.

You mentioned with music one person playing it is magical and anther person it might just be okay. I’m curious for you, what makes a piece of ceramics magic?

I think it is a combination of technique, the form, and then the interpretation of the form. I tell my students as I am teaching, without technique there is no interpretation. If you don’t know the fundamentals of playing the cello or the fundamentals of music, it doesn’t matter how much you feel the music, you won’t be able to express the music, in a way that is going to be able to transmit to someone else. And I think the same thing is with ceramics. I think there are certain techniques about how to throw, how to create a shape, how to trim later, how to put a handle on, that really speak to the technique and eventually will speak later on to someone who sees that and goes I wan to hold that mug. I want that in my cupboard every morning.

Do you ever get push back from anybody saying that selling is selling out?

No. I never get that. And just like my performance I have to know my value. I have put the work in and I am offering something, be it a performance or a mug, or a platter, and this is what I feel is my value or what I think it is worth. I think there is a fair market value for your work.

How do you balance imposter syndrome with putting a realistic value on yourself?

Oh, I think you hit the nail on the head. Every artist it doesn’t matter what field they are in no matter how long we have been doing it, I think we all have that balancing act of What is the value of what I do? and Am I good enough to do what I am doing? Pablo Casals is one of the greatest cellists ever. When he was in his nineties he was asked, Why are you still practicing? And he answered, Well, I think I am getting better. (laughter) And this is one of the greatest cellists who ever lived! We are always striving to improve ourselves. We are always striving to create more beauty.

What’s the worst venue you have ever had to play in?

It was actually a bar. (laughter) I had a gig and we ended up playing in a bar and it was so loud no one could hear anything and I had an audition and I just told the rest of the quartet, Play what ever you want. I’m going to practice. So I practiced in the bar and no one was any of the wiser.