Eric Mrugala

Last year's Indiegogo Project enabled my colleague and me to start what we hope will be a long-term endeavor; to create a chamber music series around the Chicago-land area that audiences can get excited about! 

Chamber music is what…

Well, I used to practice 7 hours a day in my youth. Although back then I didn't really know how to practice efficiently. 

In high school, I was practicing…

Things you might not know about me:

1) I'm a HUGE Marvel Movie fan. 

2) When the world cup is around, I stop everything and watch the games (or practice while watching, although I don't recommend it)

…

I'm just bouncing off a gig in Maine and I want to write this all down for you while it's still fresh in my mind. 

This weekend I traveled a thousand miles by car, performed in two states and…

Sound. What do you think of when you think of sound when you play the violin?

We listen to music and sound differently then we used to 40 years ago. I bet you…

(2 min. read)

The picture above is EXACTLY what I'm looking forward to eating when I step off the plane. Some fresh tomatoes, basil, and pasta from the town of Piobicco. Also on the…

Classical musicians that I've talked to recently say that the older they get, the more difficult it is to handle their nerves on stage. 

Why is that the case? Is it due to the lack of…

When you gig so frequently, you learn and make mistakes on the job. It's perfectly normal, but you want to avoid making mistakes as much as possible. Even if it's a simple wedding, or you're asked to fill in for…

The life of a musician can be tricky.

Any job someone takes in the music industry can be exhausting and even frustrating. That's why music is more than just a profession, it's…

I'm heading into the summer with a lot of new repertoire to learn and trying to learn this violin rep as well as I can so that it's performance ready. 

There are many ways to learn rep but I hope…

An important thing I've noticed in music recently is that it's important to treat your colleagues the way you treat yourself. Gratitude in a competitive gig/freelance economy comes a long way if you're trying to make it. 

When you're performing in a…

When you walk around each corner of Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, you can't help but run into people with guitars, violins, cellos, and keyboards on their backs and under their arms. This is the exact thought that comes to my head while sitting at…

It's fascinating to me as a violinist when I look at a piece of music for the first time and try to find something (or many things) interesting things about it. When I'm curious about something…

We crowdfunded our Indiegogo campaign, and we organized the performance in a city that we had to fly to. 

While we found a lot of success…

Brady vs Beethoven, an overview of Tom Brady's Tom vs Time and a closer look at the relationship between sports and music. 

There's a certain truth when it comes to playing the violin. If you want to find success in music…

3 min. read

In the freelance circuit, you're going to meet a lot of different people. 

You're going to meet different musicians with personalities that are the good, the bad, and the ugly.

As a violinist, sometimes…

As classical musicians, we live in an age where we compare ourselves to others.  

When I went to school for music, there was a competitive feeling that you couldn't escape. I was trying to prove myself to the world…

Performers and artists alike have to be fearless. But we constantly go through stages in our careers where we get nervous. 

Why do we get nervous? We practice our music, we know what it needs to sound…

(3 min read)

I remember when I was in my youth and got offered to play a run of Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was one of the first times I got asked to do a paid opportunity, let…

Thought of the Day

When people say that a piece of music is virtuosic, or a player demonstrates virtuosity, what does that really mean? What does it mean to be virtuosic?

Virtuosity comes from the French, Virtu…

Think about the last time you went to a concert.

Did you have a good time? 

If so, why was it a good time?

What was it about the venue, the musicians on stage, the people around…

As you can see from my previous post, a lot of music came way recently. 

I'm  thankful that I'm a part of many great projects that include a lot of great music. But I really want to emphasize one thing…

My schedule is becoming super hectic these days, but I'm making the most of every piece of sheet music that comes my way. I'm playing a lot of Mozart and Brahms this Fall, super excited to be a part of…

As a musician, I realized early on that what I do is different.

I'm thankful to have traveled the world sharing music with people and share precious memories with people who hold dear to me. 

One memorable experience…