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Sasha Ono is a musician based in NYC. Ono credits her family for her introduction to music, sharing that it’s been a deeply integrated part of her life since her youth. After deciding to transition from teaching to cello performance, she’s now heard on Cynthia Erivo’s album, "I Forgive You" Ariana Grande’s "Eternal Sunshine" live recording, and her string quartet/jazz quintet project with her father. When she’s not in the studio or onstage, Ono leads a project called “Comfy Classical,” where audiences and musicians enjoy community and music in comfortable clothing. She’s also an advocate for Creatives Care, an organization that connects creative workers with mental health services in New York, and of the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra, which provides all the tools needed for kids to learn music. Ono’s advice to young artists? “Continuously take time to reflect and search for your own voice and purpose… And keep practicing!” Read on to learn more about Sasha Ono and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Name: Sasha Ono
Heritage: Japanese American and Jewish American
Hometown: New York City and Westchester, NY
Current City: New York City
Current project: Lotus Chamber Music Collective
What are some of your favorite credits/projects:
"I Forgive You" album recording with Cynthia Erivo, "Eternal Sunshine" live recording with Ariana Grande, and my string quartet + jazz quintet project with my father, Shunzo Ohno.
Any advice for young people getting into the arts?
Continuously take time to reflect and search for your own voice and purpose. A greater sense of purpose will ground you in a chaotic working world. This will also help you to feel grounded when you inevitably face rejection, challenges in your work, challenges in your environment, and blocks in your creative process. Hold onto the type of person you want to be and surround yourself with people who you admire – both for their art and for the way they work. And keep practicing! Keep improving and working on your craft!
How did you get your start?
It’s hard to pinpoint a starting point because I’ve always been involved with music in one way or another. All of my musical experiences, from listening to music in the backseat of my mom’s car to attending orchestra concerts with my grandpa, created who I am as a musician. When I decided to pivot from a teaching career to a cello performing career, I decided to be brave about stepping into spaces I didn’t feel like I belonged. I challenged myself constantly to push through discomfort and reach out to musicians I admired, accept jobs I hadn’t done before (and thoroughly prepare for them), learn new skills, and talk to people I didn’t know. Slowly building solid relationships with musicians I wanted to work with and learning new skills really helped me build a career I’m proud of.
Do you have any favorite moments in your career that you'd like to share?
Recently, on tour, due to snow storms and an unfortunate plane crash in the area, all flights from Toronto were grounded. We were traveling with about 70 people and my cello required a plane seat. I didn’t have a flight case with me since we had planned to fly the cello in the plane. Quickly, I started reaching out to my musical family. People from all over Canada and the US reached out to help me! Musicians I didn’t even know personally offered to drive, pick up my cello, lend me an instrument, and more. It was a really stressful situation but I was completely blown away by the generosity of my musical community. I know this moment could easily have been a magical moment on stage or playing for tens of thousands of people, but knowing the strength of the music community really keeps me going.
What have you found is the biggest challenge in your career?
I had a lot of trouble trying to find my place in the music world. I took an untraditional path to becoming a cellist and I decided I really wanted to work with people who had similar values to me. People who truly loved music, wanted to make an impact on their community, and were interested in innovative concert concepts. For some, I wasn’t classically focused enough, for others I wasn’t enough of a pop cellist. It was hard to show people both sides of my musical self. Eventually I found spaces where my versatility as a cellist was celebrated as a unique skill set.
I’ve felt a similar way about my Asian identity, being a mixed Asian American person – Not quite enough of one thing or the other. But I’ve found a lot of excitement in exploring different parts of my identity as a musician and as a person.
Do you have any organizations or non profits you work with you’d like to highlight?
Creatives Care actively connects creative workers in New York with mental health services by researching individual people’s options for care based on location, health insurance (or no insurance), budget, availability, and more at no cost to the creative worker.
I have loved working with the New Jersey Symphony Youth Orchestra. They have the most incredible team of administrators and teachers who all do so much to advocate for and inspire kids to play music. I have never seen a team more dedicated to supporting all of its students and you can really hear and see the results. It's such a beautiful community of people dedicated to making sure students have everything they need to flourish and I am so grateful to have been a small part of it.
Did you have any interesting “odd jobs” you worked at between gigs to pay the bills?
I had SO many odd jobs and I’m so grateful for all of them! I worked at a senior living center where I worked the front desk, taught an exercise class, drove a bus, gave tours, and even helped out in the kitchen. I worked a few retail jobs, assisted at a small catering company, and did some administrative work for a company. I think it’s important to remember that every part of your life shapes you as a person, which in turn will shape your art. Facing the realities of life, paying rent, paying for groceries, etc. doesn’t need to be the antithesis to your creative self.
Do you have any side projects you’d like to highlight?
I started a project called "Comfy Classical" where musicians and audience members come in their comfy clothes and enjoy spending time in community, listening to music in a relaxed environment, and making new friends. It gets to the core of why I love music and my ideal way to share music with people.
What are some goals you hope to achieve?
I would love to write, record cello, and arrange more music for artists. I love working collaboratively with Artists to find creative ways to bring their vision to life and add my own special spin on things.
A goal of mine is to be a positive influence in the music industry. Music only thrives when there are people who choose to advocate for musicians. It can be a constant uphill battle to be a musician - with streaming, AI music, music recording studios closing, and many orchestras shutting down, the opportunities for musicians to work are going down. The music industry is changing rapidly - If we can find ways to advocate for musicians and grow with the industry, I think we can achieve great things while keeping musicians employed and creative. I am so grateful for the people who advocated for me in this industry and I look forward to being that person for others.
What do you love most about what you do?
There's really nothing I love more than playing cello for people. I sometimes have a love/hate relationship with how difficult and temperamental the cello can be, but I absolutely love playing cello for people. It feels like my most meaningful form of communication and connection - I'm not a wordsmith, but with music I feel I can accurately communicate so much. It feels like what would take me paragraphs to write out, comes out in just a few notes of cello playing. Making music weaves a unique energy in a room - when everyone's attention is suspended by the same music, there's a confluence of intensity and intimacy about performing that is all encompassing.
As a performer, you can direct the energy in a room - make a surprising decision musically, have fun with the audience, create a contemplative mood. Just think about when you choose a playlist for your dinner party or just a playlist you listen to for a car ride - think about what a big difference the music makes to the whole experience. That influence multiplies tenfold when those choices are being made live. When I perform, I feel like I am challenging myself moment by moment, relying on my preparation, gauging the energy of the crowd, feeling out how my fellow musicians are playing, taking a backseat or a leading position with just the notes I'm playing, and so much more. There's a lot going on all at once, and I happen to really love that. I hope to create more spaces and opportunities for live music and live musicians.
What helped you most to rebound from what you considered your biggest failure or mistake in your career?
I had a pretty debilitating, cello career ending injury while I was in college. It forced me to drop out of college once, and almost a second time. I felt so embarrassed, discouraged, and lost but that became one of the most defining times in my life. I was forced to find out who I was without being a cellist and I had to make a really tough decision to either push myself through years of physical therapy, or find another career. Ultimately, I decided to push through and I learned so much about myself, the music industry, performing, and that experience has really grounded me. I rebuilt my cello technique from the ground up and being able to re-make the choice to be a cellist as an adult has meant so much to me.
How do you deal with performance anxiety?
There are a lot of little tips and tricks I do, but the most important tip is to really thoroughly prepare. I practice in a way where I am fundamentally prepared to play music on the cello differently at a moment's notice, and feel comfortable. Can I play the music much faster if the band or quartet speeds up? Can I play the music well if the band decides to change keys? Can I play the music on the cello comfortably if there's flash photography in the middle of a particularly difficult passage or my music flies off the stand? These are all real life situations that have happened to me often enough that I ask myself these questions BEFORE I get to the stage. By the time I get to the performance, I have practiced the music and feel solid enough in my own cello technique to be able to handle these situations.
To find out more on Sasha Ono, please visit her at:
Website: www.sashaono.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cellosasha/
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