Paul Trainor has played the cello for 16 years.
Courtesy | Paul Trainor

 

Paul Trainor is a senior majoring in music from Nacogdoches, Texas.

What instruments do you play?

It’s just cello, and really, that’s been my thing. I’ve played it since I was 7. You know, I’ve kind of picked up a few things, dropped a few things since that point, but cello is kind of my one-stop shop. 

What made you want to pursue music at Hillsdale?

I didn’t come here to do music, actually. I came here majoring in physics and math. I had all my high school STEM credits set up, I was doing dual enrollment, I did robotics in high school. Then I came here, and I started the physics track, and I was burning out really quickly. I realized this wasn’t something that I could do long term and be fulfilled. Music has always been there. I think I kind of had my priorities flipped in high school, without really realizing it should have been the other way around. Music is something I can never get tired of doing. You could say it’s accidental, you could say it’s providential, that’s just kind of the way things ended up.

What music groups are you part of on campus?

I am part of the fraternity formerly known as Phi Mu Alpha, which has recently been re-named Alpha Mu Phi, that’s cool. I was song master until this semester. I’m part of the college orchestra, and I’m part of the Joy Quartet within the music department. I don’t sing here– I can hold a pitch but that’s about it. 

Are you involved with any other clubs on campus?

I’m vice president of the philosophy honorary, Phi Sigma Tau, and I run a Bible study in my house. 

Who has been your biggest inspiration in the musical world?

One of the people who consistently always wows me– and I hate that this is so cliche, because everyone knows him– is Yo-Yo Ma. But, there’s a reason why everybody knows him. He does literally everything. He’s played everything. I reference his recordings and his performances constantly, even if I’m not agreeing with every decision he’s making. He’s just so obviously mastered his craft. I’ve actually been to see him live three times now. He’s mind blowing. 

If you could do a song collaboration with anyone, who would you do it with?

Jacob Collier. Outside the world of classical music, he might be my singular favorite musician on the planet right now. He is a literal polymath with music. The only limit to what he can do is his own imagination, with the technical mastery of like 3 billion instruments. They’re all really quirky instruments, too. His vocal range is nuts, and he just has so much fun doing it. He’s so, so, so creative. I really appreciate creative minds because my mind does not necessarily work like that super easily. That would be surreal. 

What’s your favorite genre to play?

I’m a classical musician by temperament. I’m a classical musician by training. It’s what I do. 

What’s your favorite song you’ve played so far?

One of my perennial all-time favorites is a piece from Tchaikovsky. His Variations on a Rococo Theme, Opus 33. It’s got the whole emotional gamut. It’s whimsical, then it’s playful, then it’s manic, then it’s very somber, and then suddenly, it’s not. It’s kind of faking you out the entire time. It’s so cool to be able to take that in as an audience because you’re sort of carried along for the ride. It’s so cool to be able to create that effect as a performer and to kind of know what goes into that, which makes the learning process so much fun to bring the piece up. I think that’ll just be with me forever.

Do you have a senior recital coming up?

My senior recital is on April 15 at 7p.m. There are three huge pieces, and not really anything more, because they are huge, and it’s gonna be great. I’m a little terrified, learning them all right now. I’ve started them all already, but getting them up to speed is going to be a gargantuan task. We’ll see how it fares. One of the pieces I’m playing is actually a sonata with a harpsichord and Dr. Tacke will be playing the harpsichord with me. One of them is a Brahms Sonata with piano. The piano part is insane and Chloe Tritchka will be playing it. She’s a senior music major too. And then the other one is a Chinese piece written about three years ago for just solo cello, and that’s nuts because you’re doing all sorts of things you would never do normally with a cello. There’s guitar picks, there’s body percussion. It’s insane. 

If you could have dinner with any three people, who would you have it with?

Marsilio Ficino, Gustav Mahler, and Matthew Gaetano.

Do you have any hidden talents?
I can clap really fast. It’s something I learned when I was 12 as a way to pass time, and I don’t do it ever anymore for any reason, because there’s literally no use for it. But I don’t know, I haven’t run into anyone else who can do that. So I guess that counts. 

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your freshman self?

Calm the frick down. Literally, just calm down. I was not the most stable individual, and I think I just kind of learned to take in where I was and appreciate what I was doing and sort of be present with myself and everyone I knew. That would have been great. It was a wild time. That was a wild time. But that’s the first thing I would say.