Daniela Mars Artist Interview
Daniela Mars, a Trevor James Flutes Artist since 2017, is a Brazilian flutist raised in Japan, South Korea, Brazil, and England. Daniela enjoys a rich musical life as a chamber musician and soloist in France. Daniela has always had a special interest in contemporary music and has made it her mission as a musician to work with living composers on commissioning projects. Her diverse upbringing and passion for traveling have sparked her curiosity about other cultures and musical styles, which has taken her to various countries as a performer.
When and why did you begin playing the flute?
I began when I lived in York! I was seven years old :) I remember I always loved music; both of my parents did too, and there would always be music in the house. But before playing the flute, I asked my parents if I could sing in the choir; I absolutely loved it. Then during music class at school, a friend of mine brought her flute to show the class. I found it so so beautiful (this was before even hearing it!) and on that day I asked my parents if I could play the flute.. the rest is history!
Tell us about some pivotal moments essential to creating the artist you've become.
I’ve been thinking about this, and I’m finding it quite hard to list specific moments. It wouldn’t be the concert or solo that shaped me but the people I met during that experience. The people I met during the tour, recording, projects, etc. Some of the experiences that shaped me as an artist weren’t necessarily musical; if they were, sometimes it was without the flute!
Hiking and camping in Norway were huge for me, swimming in the waterfalls in Brazil and staying for almost two months in a tiny village in the French alps (where I would hike every.single.day.)
I remember singing in the choir in Beethoven's 9th symphony at a music festival in Slovenia; I felt electric after that concert. Singing Bruckner’s motets, singing bossa nova, playing Brazilian percussion in a samba band.
As for a flute moment, I think one of the most recent ones was when I was recording the first movement of the Nola flute concerto. There is a moment where the bass flute has a solo with the viola, and I was so present yet like I was floating… It made me feel very grateful for this crazy musical journey!
What are your personal goals? Professional goals?
Personally… I would love to be back in the mountains, hike, explore and SLEEP! I wish I could sleep more…
Professionally I guess I would like to find out what exactly it is that I want. I have changed countries many times, and my career has been eclectic. I love what I do, but I think more clarity and focus would be beneficial.
Can you tell us about your album release?
Intrinsic is my debut album and also a visual album. It was created to pay tribute to nature and honor the world's magic around us through the art of music and the moving image. Connected to this album, there is a film with each track. The images were captured in remote locations in the heart of Brazil, in Goiás, the state where I’m from, and a part of the world that feels like home yet never loses the mystery of a hidden paradise.
I believe we make up our minds through experience, inspiration, and passion. So I’d love this album to inspire people to take better care of this Earth. Has it ever been more important to do this? I hope you enjoy the album, the images, the films, and all of the energy and beauty that surges through the different pieces. I can say from my heart that this album is alive in the world because of a combination of immense work, care, and, above all, love. I am so happy to finally share it!
What was the process for creating the album? Biggest challenge?
Where to start… I was fortunate enough to have a lot of support from friends, family, and followers, even though I did the crowdfunding for the album. When I saw I had enough money to make this happen, I thought, ‘ok.. now I’m really going to have to do this!’ There was a lot of back and forth when deciding where to record... I thought of recording it in England, France, Vienna… And covid made this all even more uncertain (I recorded this in 2021!) Then finally, I decided to record it in Brazil, which worked out well because I also wanted to make the videos there!! However, there were other challenges; the covid situation was getting quite serious; I had booked the hall in Brazil twice and had to cancel because of lockdowns until finally, the 3rd time proved lucky! It was booked, and everything seemed to work out..
The filming process came with other challenges as we had to hike to most of the locations, and the heat and lack of humidity made this difficult... (The humidity could get below 10% some days..) but I had a lot of help from my mother, brother, a close friend of mine, and the videographer. They not only did the hikes with me but would help me by telling me how to stand or holding a reflector.. it was wonderful teamwork! I think the hardest day was when we did the hike to ‘Mirante da Janela’ to film Orange Dawn. It was a long hike, we stayed there until sunset so when hiking back, it was very dark, and we had to use a torch and our phones. Then what made it even tougher was that I had to shoot another video that night. The one for ‘Be Still My Soul’! I was very tired.. but we got it done!!
What do you have planned for the next few months?
More adventures! Musically and in the wild :) I’m planning a US tour in Spring next year! And I am already thinking about the second album!
Can you give us five quirky, secret, fun (don't think too much about this) hobbies or passions?
- I probably dance every day. (Beyoncé…)
- I love KOALAS, penguins, and capivaras (they are all too cute!)
- I’ve kept a Diary since I was about 7.
- Editing videos,
- playing video games, and anime! (I’m a bit of a nerd)
Any advice for a young flutist?
Remember that there is more to life than music. Sometimes we can forget that we put too much importance, and give it too much weight, so it takes a lot of space in our lives, mind, and heart. I believe we become better musicians/artists when we open our minds to the world around us and go through different experiences which aren’t music related.
And another piece of advice: Don’t forget to have fun!
Link (to purchase/stream album)