‘Give them something to listen to’ - Daniel Pioro: Blink if you dare

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The cries of a baby bounce between the bare concrete walls of British violinist Daniel Pioro’s home, not far from London’s Barbican Centre. His son is just a few months old, and Pioro, 36, is keen to lead by example from the start. ‘All my life I’ve said no to stuff very confidently,’ he explains. ‘Now, suddenly, it’s even more important to ask why  I’m doing something, and not just because of the time I’m spending away from home. I want my son to learn to do the same: to ask himself, before he agrees to do anything, why he’s saying yes.’ If he’s anything like his father, this is a child likely to know his own mind. Over the next hour, Pioro speaks emphatically about the kind of music making he enjoys (with ample rehearsal time, opportunities to build relationships and often, but not always, new repertoire) and the kind he would rather avoid (everything else)…