We’re looking forward to introducing you to Batya MacAdam-Somer. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Batya, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Getting out of the city, getting away, spending time in natural environments, connecting with land. I find that distance is helpful in giving me perspective, and the contact with less urban spaces clears my mind and grounds me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a musician, specifically a violinist and a violist, and I sing as well. I perform across various genres including classical, avant-garde, folk, and pop. I love collaborating with other artists.
I have played the violin for almost my entire life; I began studying at the age of three in the Suzuki method. The training was rigorous– which I’m grateful for– but elements of it also caused me a lot of anxiety and frustration. I started experiencing intense nervous system dysregulation while performing around age twelve. I didn’t know how to deal with it- I felt as if I had a disease that was taboo to bring up. Yet, the violin was such a large part of my identity, I couldn’t imagine my life without it.
I didn’t start addressing these issues until after I earned my Bachelors degree from the Manhattan School of Music. I was contemplating pursuing a career as an orchestral musician but was completely tied into knots. I wanted to take a step back without completely abandoning my practice- so I came out to San Diego to study at UCSD’s famed experimental music department.
During my time there, I was introduced to The Alexander Technique, a method for cultivating more connection between the mind and body, which really saved me. And, I started investigating the culture of classical music, which is a topic I’m still writing about on my Substack account, “Lester Bangs Lives”.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I think my earliest memories of feeling powerful involve connecting deeply with music, as well as memories of traveling and being really inspired by it.
I used to fall asleep to the oldies radio station and fell in love not only with the unique voices, melodies, and harmonies I was hearing, but also a sense of time and place that I felt emanating from the music- suddenly, I was in the 1950s and 1960s, time travel! I loved how I could be anywhere, put headphones on, and be instantly transported by a song. Pure magic!
In terms of traveling- I remember being maybe 5 or 6 years old and driving to Kansas with my mom and siblings to a Suzuki workshop- and really loving the experience of watching the land change as we drove. The sensation was- this place feels different: the land, the plants and animals, the air, the people. Taking that in was interesting and exciting. I could trace our journey, compare it to home, map it in my mind.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The nervous system dysregulation that I mentioned earlier is a real tender spot for me because it shows up so intensely in social situations. For years, this felt like something I just couldn’t get past. Thankfully, I’ve found some incredible support systems through EMDR therapy, energy work, and The Alexander Technique; and from engaging with all of those modalities, I’ve begun to embrace this part of myself as something lovable rather than something to fix.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I find the pace of life here in the US to be too hectic, and too goal/product oriented. I think this takes a real toll on all of us, and the earth as well. Everyday, I think about how to build a life that feels sustainable for me, where I’m not overwhelmed and burnt out. Moving slowly feels radical, yet I know I do my best work when I operate with a sense of having all the time in the world.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. When do you feel most at peace?
When I get to move at a pace that suits me, and when I have a healthy balance of solitude and companionship in my life.
Contact Info:
- Other: Substack: Lester Bangs Lives: https://lesterbangslives.substack.com.
A musician’s thoughts on anxiety, expression, and the culture of classical music
Image Credits
Katie Berns, Dorka Hegedus
