If you’ve ever wondered who is the young man that oftentimes play stunning renditions of music on his violin at the Amazonia Mall, Giftland Mall or even at the West Central Mall, well he is none other than self-taught violinist, Akeem Adams.
Giving us a sneak peek into his life as a violinist, 27-year-old Adams who hails from Mackenzie, Linden told the Guyana Standard that becoming a violinist was somewhat a twist of fate that occurred back in 2014.
He recalled, “I became a violinist through coincidence or a happy accident. I wanted to go the National School of Music while it was on Brickdam. I was around 17 or 18-years-old and I wanted to go study the piano and singing.”
Adams said that this did not go as planned as his sister had approached him in accompanying her to her violin class at the time. “She had asked me to come to the violin class because she said that the violin class didn’t have enough students so she wanted some company. I didn’t want to do violin but I just decided to accompany her,” he recollected.
Not regretting his decision till this day, Adams said little did he know that day was a blessing in disguise.
“The first day of me going to music school upon entering the building, the first thing I heard was violins playing and that was the first time I actually heard (live) violin, like I heard them before on television but I never paid any interest to it. But just hearing it on that day, I don’t know what it did, but it did something to me,” he remembered.
Getting au fait with the instrument back then, Adams shared that he had a violin tutor named Ms. Gillian Oak who was a volunteer from the United States (US) Embassy. He mentioned that through her, he was learning to play the violin for some six months until she had to leave for Mexico as her job required her to move.
After her departure, Adams said he did not give up on his violin; instead he started to use books and watch YouTube videos to learn how to better his skills.
According to him, playing the violin is no easy walk in the park as it requires lots of focus and muscle memory being involved. “I listened to a lot of other violinist play. I recorded myself a lot, critique what I was doing, trying to correct it and yea that is how my journey of becoming a violinist started,” he expressed.
Looking back at that day now, Adams said he would not change it for anything since he enjoys what he does and it changed his life for the better.
“I was afforded the opportunity to not have to go do a 9-to-5 job, which I don’t like at all. I get to do something that I love and I get to be creative and express myself through that.
“Also, in terms of self-esteem and confidence, I think playing this instrument has done a whole lot for me in that department,” he shared.
Being a violinist for a number of years now, he noted that support from the general public has been a great motivation to him. If not playing at the malls, Adams can be seen showcasing his craft at weddings, national events and other privately held events.
For Adams his musical mentors are well known violinist Lindsey Stirling and Hilary Hahn whose skills and genre of music inspires him to keep doing what he does.
When asked what are some of his future goals as he continues this journey, Adams told the Standard that he hopes to complete his Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) violin exams which he unfortunately did not get done due to the COVID-19 pandemic impact.
As he pushes to complete this goal, Adams he is also interested in recording his own music soon. It is a passion he hopes to document in hopes of inspiring other young men.
