Rachel Barton Pine on juggling motherhood with a career as a solo violinist

Rachel  Barton  Pine  gave  birth  to  her  daughter  Sylvia  last  September  and  was  back  on  the  road  three  weeks  later.

Pine restarted before baby Sylvia was a month old. ‘I played the  complete  Mozart  concertos  in  a  single  concert.  I  did  ask  myself, “Couldn’t I just have done easy things, like the Brahms Concerto?”  I  mostly  practised  while  she  slept  in  those  early  weeks,  and  it  really  expedited  my  recovery.  There’s  obviously  a fine line, as new mothers have to take the time to recover and not do too much. If I’d worn myself out I could have been ill. But playing music felt like such a healthy thing to do, and it was great to get back to practising. It seemed like time to reconnect with who I am. I was asked whether I was going to take any time off after  having  the  baby,  but I had  to  say,  “Performing  isn’t  what  I do, it’s who I am – I can’t take time off from who I am.”’

Pine had worried in her pregnancy that breastfeeding would be very hard going. ‘But it’s what’s recommended to be best for babies nutritionally, so I thought I should try it. And it’s been much more convenient  than carrying  bottles  about  for  travelling  –  when  my  flight’s delayed or the luggage is lost, I know I can still feed my baby. It does take a bit of extra planning. It hasn’t stopped me from doing any of my radio interviews, outreach work  or  masterclasses, but I make sure I know when I’ll get a 20-minute break to nurse Sylvia.’

Watch: 9-year-old Sylvia Pine – daughter of Rachel Barton Pine – plays Meditation from Thais

Watch: Rachel Barton Pine and her daughter share two pieces from ‘Music by Black Composers’

Watch: Violinist Rachel Barton Pine in duet with her daughter

Taking children on tour is often a necessity in the very early days. Pine is lucky in that her husband has always toured with her, but she takes along a  nanny too. ‘Air travel can be tricky.  The violin is a bit like a child too – you can’t ignore it on a plane journey until you’ve put the stroller back  together.  Greg can watch the violin while the nanny watches the luggage and I watch the baby!’

Many soloists dread how managers and record companies will react to the news that they’re starting a family.  ‘I was very, very afraid, to make that  phone call and tell my new management agency that I was expecting,’ says Pine. ‘I didn’t want to give them the impression that I wasn’t serious  about my career. The baby was due last September and of course that’s when all the season-opening concerts are – I had to cancel them all.  But  the agency couldn’t have been more understanding. They said they’d see if the orchestras could do the concerts a year later – they really made it seem no big deal.’