Interview: Elias Faingersh-SOLO from the pit
"Solo from the Pit" tells the story of world-renowned virtuoso trombonist Elias Faingersh. Through a unique blend of live music and storytelling, the show explores his journey from the depths of the orchestra pit to the center of the stage.
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/solo-from-the-pit
Venue: Studio at theSpaceTriplex
When: 7 - 29 August (not performing on 16th)
Could you tell us a bit about yourself and the show?
My name is Elias Faingersh, and I’m a trombonist. I was lucky enough to receive a fantastic musical education – I studied at the Manhattan School of Music, and went on to doctoral studies at Yale, and later played with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York. For a young musician, it was everything I had dreamed of. The only problem was that it turned out not to be my dream after all. So I did what any sensible person would do: I left a prestigious opera career, picked up my trombone and started creating my own shows. Since then, I’ve been performing around the world, from theatres and festivals to Fringe stages, and having a lot more fun than anyone warned me I would. SOLO From The Pit is the true story of that journey – leaving the orchestra pit in search of artistic freedom, and discovering along the way that life is often much funnier than your original plan.
You are bringing the show all the way from Sweden. How did you get involved with the Fringe Festival?
The show has had a wonderful journey already. I’ve performed it in Orlando, at major Canadian Fringe festivals, and it even had a ten-show Off-Broadway run at SoHo Playhouse in New York.
Then one day a producer from theSpaceUK asked whether I was ready for Edinburgh. My answer was immediate: absolutely! Performing at the Edinburgh Fringe has been a dream of mine for many years. For performers all over the world, Edinburgh is a bit like Mecca, Venice and Glastonbury rolled into one – only with more flyers. So I'm incredibly excited that this is finally the year I get to bring my show there.
The show is described as a "musical stand-up comedy." How do you find the balance between playing virtuosic music and delivering sharp, self-ironic humour?
It’s not easy. Playing music and telling stories are different languages, and finding the right balance between them takes a lot of practice. What helps me is that I don’t really see them as separate things. For me, it’s all communication. Whether I’m playing the trombone, speaking, singing, using electronics or simply standing on stage telling a story, I'm trying to express something and connect with the audience. I often think of all these tools as different versions of the same instrument. The trombone has a voice, the performer has a voice, and the show is really about bringing all those voices together. Once you think about it that way, the acting, music and the humour start working as a team rather than competing with each other.
You weave classical music by composers like Bizet, Verdi, and Puccini into the show.
How do these classic opera pieces help you tell your own deeply personal, modern story? Those opera composers wrote extraordinarily beautiful music. There’s a reason people are still listening to Bizet, Verdi and Puccini all these years later: the music speaks directly to us. I spent years surrounded by these operas. I enjoy playing it and listening to it. It was part of my daily life, and it became part of my being. So when I tell my own story, it feels completely natural that this music comes along for the ride. Sometimes an aria or a tune can express an emotion better than words ever could. The operas become companions to my story, helping me tell it in a way that is personal but also universal. After all, opera is full of people making questionable life decisions, and in that respect, I fit right in.
Your company, Teater KEF, has won awards all over the world, including in Orlando. What are you most excited about when it comes to finally presenting your UK premiere here in Edinburgh?
I am very grateful for the awards our Theatre Company, Theatre KEF, received, of course, but honestly, they have never been the goal. The greatest reward is the moment when you feel a real connection with an audience. That is why I do this. When people laugh, listen, react, and travel through the story with you, something very special happens. That is what excites me most about Edinburgh. Not trophies, but the opportunity of sharing the show with thousands of curious people from all over the world. That is what I expect and hope for. If audiences come along, enjoy themselves, and we create that connection together, I will consider the Fringe a success.
If you had to describe the show in only three words to make people eager to see it, what would they be?
Beauty. Laughter. Warmth. Or, if you’re feeling particularly adventurous: Music. Comedy. Trombone.
