“Ethereal” by pianist Cecilia Foj, the essence of a profound personal and emotional experience.

"Cecilia Foj," "Ethereal," "pianista y compositora," "cáncer de mama," "proceso creativo," "disco Ethereal"

In this interview, pianist and composer Cecilia Foj shares with us the process behind her latest work, Ethereal, an album deeply influenced by her personal experience with breast cancer. Through her music, Foj transforms pain and uncertainty into art, inviting us on an intimate journey of healing and hope.

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Tell us a bit about the creative process behind this album. We know you composed it during a very difficult time personally. How did that experience influence your music, and how do you feel now, after going through that whole healing process?

It’s true. The creative process behind the works that make up Ethereal is deeply linked to one of the hardest stages of my life: breast cancer. A disease that can appear at any time, and from which no woman is exempt, simply because she is a woman.

After the initial shock and as I began the path to healing, I went through moments of immense uncertainty and fear. Fear of losing everything beautiful around me: my family, friends, my work, my travels, my piano, the concerts… And it was in the midst of that whirlwind of emotions that I felt the need to express it through music. After a mastectomy and as I began chemotherapy, during those long nights of insomnia, the muses took hold of my sensitivity. In the early morning hours, unable to sleep, I would get up, and in the silence of the night, the first of the pieces was born: October Rose. This piece reflects my deepest emotions: disbelief, anxiety, anger, sadness, and finally, acceptance. It was music that allowed me to express what words could not.

Fortunately, thanks to early diagnosis and treatment, I am completely healthy today. However, I must continue with check-ups every six months. That’s why I want to emphasize the importance of preventive screenings, such as mammograms, which allow the disease to be detected in its early stages.

“Each of the pieces was key to my recovery, because they all emerged naturally, organically, and with much love.” – Cecilia Foj

In your first album, you worked with pieces by female composers, but this time there’s a lot of your own material. Do you feel that this new work is more autobiographical and cathartic?

Absolutely! As a pianist, I spent much of my life performing works by other composers, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, with my first album *Argentina al piano* (released by Virtuoso Records, just like Ethereal), I began to feel the need to showcase my own creative side. In that album, although I worked with Argentine female composers, I included one of my own pieces, Pequeña traviesa, which I composed in 2004 for my youngest daughter, Julieta. It was very well received, likely due to the innocence and freshness it conveys, and has even been performed by other pianists. In fact, one day, by chance, I found a version on YouTube by the Hungarian pianist Attila Jeszenszky-Bohm, who often plays Ginastera, Guastavino, Piazzolla… and now also Foj, haha!

During my treatment, while on leave, I found myself at home all day, surrounded by medical tests and care. And it felt natural for me, instead of retreating into self-pity, to use music to describe what I was going through. It became a sort of musical testimony, which not only reflects a way of feeling, but also my perspective on composition, enriched by years of performing works by great composers.

What can you tell us about the pieces that make up the album? Is there any that you find particularly significant in your recovery process?

Each of the works was crucial in my recovery, as they all emerged naturally, organically, and with a lot of love. In them, I express my experiences, memories, emotions, and feelings, such as my fragility, but also my strength. My family, who were my pillar, is reflected in the Suite familiar. It’s composed of pieces like Liens d’amour, where I only use the notes that form my husband’s and my names (Fabi-Ceci); Bright Girl, dedicated to my eldest daughter Morena, full of warmth and light; Alma soñadora, for my youngest daughter Julieta, who is pure sweetness; and Petit Gosset, in honor of my little dog, a loyal companion under the piano. The suite closes with Una simple plegaria, a prayer of gratitude for being surrounded by so much love.

How did you select the works that complement the repertoire, and what led you to include them alongside your compositions?

I chose works by two Argentine female composers whom I deeply admire. On one hand, Noelia Escalzo, with whom, although I haven’t met in person, I maintain a close relationship. Ethereal, which gives the album its name, deeply connected me with that feeling of lightness I experienced at the beginning of my illness, as if I were detaching from the earthly. Then there’s Claudia Montero, a composer whose sensitivity and delicacy have always fascinated me. Her piece Septiembre has a pure and simple beauty that fills me with joy. Bs. As. despierta y sueña allowed me to imagine a new awakening, a rebirth, something I personally felt after overcoming this stage.

What are your future plans, both musically and in your breast cancer awareness projects?

My plans are to live every minute to the fullest, enjoy my family, my music, and the small joys of everyday life. Musically, I want to continue promoting my new album, presenting it in concerts like the ones I’ve already done at the Museo Roca and the Julián Aguirre Conservatory, and perhaps take it abroad next year, if my health allows.

As for breast cancer awareness, I’m collaborating with Hospital Rivadavia in their awareness events, where I will perform a concert alongside soprano Mónica Boffino, who is also a breast cancer survivor. Additionally, on Breast Cancer Awareness Day, I will present Ethereal at the Mentruyt Library, sponsored by Lalcec Lomas. During that concert, announcer Gladis Pierpauli will narrate my experience between each piece, and Mónica Boffino will bring to life my suite Pasión de un alma femenina, inspired by Piazzolla’s triptych El Ángel.

My hope is that my experience will inspire other women to get preventive screenings. I am alive today because I always had my check-ups on time, and I want more women to be saved from this disease.

As long as I live, I will keep making music, enjoying every moment with my family and my piano, letting the muses guide me to new melodies inspired by life and its light and shadows.


More info about her new album here: Ethereal album by pianist Cecilia Foj – Música Clásica Buenos Aires (musicaclasica.com.ar)

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