Edmonton's Jack Forestier, musical prodigy, performs at Carnegie Hall
'The only time success comes before work is in a dictionary,' says 10-year-old virtuoso
“The only time success comes before work is in a dictionary,” said 10-year-old Jack Forestier without a hint of irony.
The adage is an important one for the pint-sized virtuoso violinist from Edmonton, who joined the ranks of Judy Garland, Duke Ellington and Sergei Rachmaninoff this weekend when he performed on stage at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
“I work very hard — like two and a half hours a day except for my day off, Saturday, which is a relief,” said Forestier, who has played since he was two. “Nobody likes practicing, but most people love performing.”
And Forestier is no stranger to performing.
At the age of seven, he competed on Canada’s Got Talent, playing alongside his band member and father Michael Forestier. The pair also often performs as a trio, joined by Forestier’s mother and violin teacher Marie Forestier.
“I just love the sound of the violin,” he said. “When I was at a concert with my mother I would always want to just listen and I would always scream so she started me on the violin and I just adored it.”
But for Forestier, nothing could compare with Carnegie Hall.
Admittedly, he was a little nervous before hand, “but as soon as my bow touched that string, those nerves went.”
Forestier was among a handful of five- to nine-year-olds who auditioned for the American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music in February 2014.
He eventually placed second, earning his chance to play in the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
“I was so excited, I’ve been counting the days since February,” he said.
When he’s not practising or performing, Forestier likes to ski, sing, and says “I love haute cuisine” — a passion he fed with escargot the night after his New York show.
As for his future plans, Forestier said he would like to play Carnegie Hall again, tour the world, live in Europe and “spread the joy of music to everybody.”