Ian Maksin holds a special place in the hearts of his fans worldwide, with his unique concerts of cello and songs in over 37 languages. It was really interesting to learn about how he has forged a unique path as a solo touring performer, and he shared his insights on finding commonalities between cultures, mindfulness practice and how he stays healthy with such an intense touring schedule. You’ll hear about his childhood, his need to break out of a strict classical music career, how his love of languages started and some suprises, including how he became a pilot as a teenager. Like all my episodes, you can also watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website Ian Maksin website Gelino video Buy me a coffee? Merchandise store to support this series Newsletter sign-up I’ve linked some episodes to this one that you’ll enjoy, with Margaret Maria Kelly Thoma Raphael Weinroth-Browne Colin Aguiar Bad Snacks Dorothy Lawson Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:23)Ian’s touring (05:55) Ian’s childhood, Georgian culture (13:45) singing in 37 languages, favourite song Gelino (15:38) “Gelina” Georgian song (video link in show notes) (20:44) Georgian food Shkmeruli, Phkali, sulguni (24:41) Ian’s love of languages, his dad’s wedding band (29:58) Ian’s albums and influences (35:48) excerpt from Amor Renatus (link in show notes) (38:42) music for peace and raising money to help Ukrainian refugees (42:16) other episodes linked to this one and ways to help this series (43:09) classical music education, and decision to follow a different path (44:52) mentors Suren Bagratuni, Michael Tilson Thomas (47:05) finding his musical voice, commonalities between traditional music worldwide (52:37) using pedals (55:58) how the internet has helped his career (01:02:29) Airplane Home, Ian’s love of aviation and how he became a pilot (01:09:36) social media marketing, finding your relevant audience (01:14:07) staying healthy mentally and physically (01:21:58) memorization