Episode Details
Back to Episodes
The Gift of Music: Ada Pasternak on Finding Purpose Through Art
Description
How are we doing? Who do you want to learn from next? Text us with notes and ideas.
Meet Ada Pasternak, a musical force whose extraordinary journey defies conventional paths. Born in Moscow to musician parents and raised on the East Coast, Ada's early life as a violin prodigy took an unexpected turn when debilitating tendonitis threatened to end her musical career entirely. What followed wasn't defeat but a remarkable reinvention.
During our conversation, Ada reveals the pivotal moment when—encouraged by her mother's intuition—she applied to Berklee College of Music minutes before the deadline and earned a full scholarship despite not having played violin for years. This turning point opened a world beyond classical music, as Ada discovered her voice as a singer-songwriter and expanded her repertoire to include folk, pop, jazz, and country influences. Her collaborations with Postmodern Jukebox launched her Los Angeles career before Nashville beckoned with its rich songwriting community.
What truly sets Ada apart isn't just her versatility across musical genres or her mastery of violin, voice, and songwriting—it's her profound commitment to using music as a vehicle for connection and healing. Her newly established nonprofit, "Ada's Gift of Music," brings musical experiences to children in hospitals and underserved communities, reflecting her belief that music's true power lies in its ability to transform lives. During her first visit to Charleston, she i
South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.
King & Columbus is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in South Carolina that helps brands grow through a mix of creative storytelling and data-driven strategy. They offer everything from branding and content creation to media planning, digital advertising, and PR—focused on delivering measurable results across digital, social, and traditional channels. https://kingandcolumbus.com
Title Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing Association
Presenting Sponsor: Charleston Media Solutions
Annual Sponsor: SCRA; South Carolina Research Authority
Quarterly Sponsor: King and Columbus
CAMACast Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen,
Silicon Harbor Hot Take Host: Stanfield Gray, https://digsouth.com
Produced and edited: RMBO Advertising
Photographer | Co-host: Kelli Morse
Score by: The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenu
Studio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew Chase
YouTube...