Meet Belinda Niling Stohner | Professional Violinist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Belinda Niling Stohner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Belinda Niling, what is the most important factor behind your success?
There is no ONE thing that makes any artist or musician successful. They’re all important because any number of things can neuter all of your hard work. I think you have to be very deliberate and intentional about your choices, to seize opportunities when they come up, and create or instigate them if there aren’t any. Grit and perseverance are arguably more important than raw talent.

I think you have to be comfortable with being different — that’s something I’ve only cultivated and had the confidence for later in life. I lean into turning left when most everyone else is going right, and I like to explore things that other people don’t seem to be doing.

I will say that I’m almost always thinking about or listening to something. My brain is “on” nearly the entire day. I don’t mean that I’m necessarily practicing all day, but I might be at the gym or watching TV, and I’ll hear something that inspires an idea, and I’ll jot that down to revisit later. Or I might have a spare half hour where I’ll work on an arrangement for a little bit. I’m very lucky that I generally like all of my work, so it’s not that much of a burden for me to come home from work, eat dinner, and then continue to work on something else until it’s time to wind down for the night. A lot of ideas come while I’m in the shower because there’s nothing to distract you but your own thoughts.

I also couldn’t do it without my supportive husband, family, and friends. I’m a big believer that behind every successful person or business is a number of people who have helped them along the way.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Baby B Strings is about using string music in creative ways and expanding the idea of classical music. Is it still classical music if the same piece is played by a rock band? Does a rock song become classical music if it’s played by an orchestra or string quartet? How can I use violin in a song so that it sounds like silk on concrete? These are the kinds of questions I’m currently thinking about. I use some of these ideas when teaching my students, and I am creating and playing with these ideas all the time. You know, my career didn’t really pan out like what I initially thought a professional violinist was.

I recently heard an interview with Hans Zimmer, and the gist of it was that he doesn’t think about instruments in association with different genres. Music is music, and it’s all one library. You can potentially use any instrument in any song or piece. I thought it was a very holistic way to look at music, and it encouraged me to think about what kind of sounds can go together.

If you fast-forward to today, I’m really excited to be working on some larger creative projects. I’m collaborating with a super talented team with Karla Caprali (animator) and Oscar “The Biscayne Poet” Fuentes to make some short films — some of which will feature music performed by my string quartet. I’m also producing a remake of The Carnival of the Animals with the fantastic Marc Magellan. He’s a real rockstar and a blast to work with. We’re using some radical instrumentations and playing with the arrangements. It’s still in early stages, but I’m looking forward to pulling in a bunch of Miami talent to come with us.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Miami really has a lot to offer, so it depends what you’re into. My husbear and I like to do outdoorsy things, so we might kayak or paddleboard, go to the beach, or bike the loop at Shark Valley. You can always buy a ticket to go offshore fishing on a charter boat if you’re feeling a bit more ambitious. Walking around Wynwood and the Design District are obvious choices for us since we live near there, and it’s really become an international destination.

Aubi & Ramsa is a really special place — they make small batch boozy ice cream, and they do it really well. For a nice dinner out, we like Omakai for one of the best sushi places in Miami, Vista, and Mandolin (the latter two are near the Design District). Shout out to Bobby’s Meals in Opa Locka, Cafe Creme in North Miami, LC’s Roti Shop in Miami Gardens, and Clive’s in Little Haiti for local digs. Ceviche and pisco sours are worth a shot while you’re here if you like seafood.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to recognize my parents, friends, and family for always supporting and enabling me to play music for a living. My grade school orchestra teacher Mrs. Dirks was a stellar role model in my formative years, being a maverick and cultivating a motivating learning environment that lifted the entire music department at our school. And Andrew Yeomanson from the Spam Allstars, a legend in Miami, for teaching me so much: everything from how to make a rockin’ espresso to introducing me to Miami booty bass. I also have to recognize my peers in the Miami string community. I consider the ones who I’ve been fortunate enough to perform and record with my teammates. I am forever grateful for their faith in my shenanigans.

Website: https://www.babybstrings.com/

Instagram: @babybstrings

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babybstrings/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/babybstrings

Other: https://www.instagram.com/light.shortanimatedfilm/ https://www.babybstrings.com/light

Image Credits
Artwork by Karla Caprali; B&W photos and quartet in red by Cristina Isabel Rivera; Quartet + wizard by Aaron Fishbein