Today we’d like to introduce you to Margherita Fava.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I was born in a village in northern Italy named Follina, and I grew up there with my family. My father is a violinist, and my mother is a singer/cellist who mainly performs with her medieval music ensemble. My parents often perform internationally, so growing up, I traveled quite a bit, following them for their performances. My musical education started with my mother having me sing canons and other ancient songs with her, along with listening to my parent’s practice and playing some rhythm-based games during car rides and travels in general. At 10 years old, I told my parents I wanted to play piano, so I started taking classical piano lessons from Luisa Rebeschini, a local teacher. During my teenage years, though, I started developing my musical taste. My ears became more drawn toward rock, indie, and pop rather than just classical, and my love for piano lessons faded. In those years, I was an avid listener and researched contemporary and popular music history, and my taste in music became increasingly eclectic.
One day, after my boyfriend at the time left his electric bass at my house, I started practicing the instrument and grew to love it. I bought myself a Fender Jazz Bass and taught myself how to play with the help of Giacomo Da Ros, a local bass player and mentor. Through practicing the bass, I discovered funk music and afro-beat, and my musical taste and understanding of the meaning of “groove” grew even more. During the summer before my last year of high school, my parents enrolled me in a week-long workshop on Jazz music in Venice, hosted by The New School from New York City. It was a life-changing experience since I hadn’t been exposed to that genre of music before. After that week, I started researching different jazz artists. Through this discovery, I went back to practicing the piano, learning a few standards on my own, and listening to as much music as possible.
After graduating high school, I took a gap year where I played gigs around the area as a bass player, took private jazz piano lessons, and got ready to apply to the same college my boyfriend was attending: Michigan State University. My audition to the Jazz Studies program was successful, and I was given a scholarship that allowed me to leave my home country and move to Lansing, MI, by myself in the fall of 2016. There, I spent my undergraduate years and began to develop my musical taste as a composer and as a performer, not only as a listener. Between classes and homework, I could share the bandstand with some great musicians and mentors, like Rodney Whitaker and Randy Napoleon. I also traveled around the country and worldwide to be a part of workshops and clinics as a teaching assistant and contribute life-changing experiences like the one I had to the younger generations. These opportunities took me to Washington, North Carolina, Michigan, New York, Italy, and Japan and helped broaden my horizons musically just as much as culturally.
After graduating from MSU, I moved to Knoxville to pursue my Master’s in Jazz Music. I was fortunate enough to win the Graduate Teaching Assistantship that the program offered, which allowed me to develop my teaching and directing skills. Here I started making a name for myself as a piano player in town and between school assignments, became a member of Knoxville’s music community, which I’m grateful for. Since I graduated in May 2022, I released an EP of all original compositions (available on Bandcamp); I started teaching Jazz Piano at Lee University in Cleveland, TN. I started teaching piano lessons at Knox Music Studio and have been working on different projects alongside the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. One of the projects I’m most proud of is my work putting together a concert series titled “NXT GEN” alongside some other Knoxville-based jazz musicians: Taber Gable, Jack Roben and Sam Adams. During our first season, we sold out almost every show, and it was a delightful experience that made me wear different hats: promoter, performer, band director, and manager. Right now, I’m in the process of releasing my first album as a leader, and I look forward to future opportunities.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
My journey as an immigrant in this country was quite challenging; once I left my home country, I found myself navigating the bureaucratic system, learning a new language, and adjusting to a new culture. Musically speaking, it has been challenging to surrender my cultural identity and my understanding of groove, to let a new perspective sink in and replace the old one, in a way. I’ve also been struggling to financially support myself through my college years since working opportunities are very limited for international students, and my parents couldn’t provide me with full financial stability. In addition, being a woman in the music business (specifically in the field I work in) is a very lonely experience. Except for a few instances, I’ve often been the only female in my work or class environment. The spread of Covid-19 made my college experience even more isolating and complicated, and as a result, I couldn’t see my family for a total of 3 years.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a pianist/composer/arranger/educator and I believe I have a unique musical background, thanks to my parents and my life journey. I study Jazz history and Black American Music, where I get most of my repertoire as a performer. Still, I let all my other musical influences come together regarding composition. I have performed at many clubs and theaters worldwide and always try to bring an authentic and genuine experience to the audience. Either by exposing them to music they haven’t heard before, suggesting a feeling, or triggering a memory (hopefully pleasant!) through my music. I also enjoy sharing my knowledge with the younger generation and anyone interested in developing their musical craft. I often work with children and teenagers, and I love to help them be their best selves at the piano and find new ways to maximize their progress.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I’ve struggled with depression and self-harming thoughts a lot during my undergraduate years at Michigan State. I sought help and was under medication for almost 2 years. But the stigma around mental health in my family and culture, added to the fact that my healthcare plan as an international student didn’t give me access to a steady doctor that would recurrently see me, drove me to the point that I decided to cut the treatment cold turkey. I went through a very challenging period as I was managing symptoms of withdraw and finish my senior year of college. But after almost 2 years of recovery I can say now that I’m over that journey and I’m successfully managing my mental health autonomously, thanks to the help and support of friends and loved ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.margheritafava.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tata__tu
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ma9rit
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTXtcaDlXXpnpr3n18Ab0rg
- Other: https://margheritafava.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Photos 1,2,3,6 by Jacob Hale Photo Photos 4,5 by Jeff Dunn Photo
