Thomas Fields: “The possibilities of my instrument still make me dream…”

American-born gambist Thomas Fields won first prize at the International Telemann Competition in Magdeburg, which took place at the end of March. This is likely the combination of his talent and his special love for the instrument…

When Thomas Fields took up the cello as a child, he never imagined that he would one day become a professional musician. It took a while, a switch of instrument, and a move to a different continent for him to choose music for good.

Thomas, how does it feel to have won the Telemann Competition in Magdeburg?

Thomas Fields: It’s a huge honour to have one’s work received well! And it was a bit of a surprise, I mean, I didn’t really consider the possibility, but you know: the goal obviously is to do well. So many things can happen in a competition, there are so many variables, you never know how it will unfold. I’m just really humbled by the whole experience.

Tell us a little about your childhood and how you got into music.

T.F.: I don’t come from a particularly musical family. I grew up in Minnesota, and there weren’t any professional musicians, or even amateur musicians around. But we (myself and all my siblings) always played music since childhood. I took cello lessons, and my siblings played other instruments. Somehow, it just stuck with me a little more. When the time came to figure out what I wanted to do after finishing my schooling, I tried music because I really loved it and I wanted to see where it would take me. My family has been very supportive though what I do is a bit of a mystery to them, because it’s so different from what the other members of my family do. And later on, when I decided I wanted to play viola da gamba and specialize in early music—that was completely foreign to them. I always have to explain to them what it is. But it’s always fun!

Yes, I suppose the viola da gamba is considered an unusual instrument, in the U.S., until this very day.

T.F.: Honestly, even here in Europe, where I live now, it’s not always obvious. I sometimes wish I’d had the opportunity to start playing this instrument as a child. I’m often kind of envious of the people I meet here in Europe who have been playing viola da gamba since they were children.