♪
Hello. My name is
Sergeant Natalia Lerner,
and I am a musician
in the Canadian Armed Forces.
I am part of Central Band
and my position is that
of a pianist and cymbal player.
So my principal
instrument is piano
and my secondary
instrument is cymbals.
♪
I am a first-generation
Canadian.
My family's history
begins in Latvia.
And Latvia has very
strong musical traditions.
So as a child, I was surrounded
by all those
musical experiences.
And when I turned 6 years old,
my parents put me
in music school
and I chose piano
as main instrument.
So I could say that I am
a classically trained pianist.
♪
When it was my time to choose
a musical instrument,
I wanted to be just
like my older sister.
She played violin.
I listened to her practicing.
So naturally, I wanted
to play violin as well.
But my parents gave me
a late ultimatum. They said:
"One violin in this family
would me more than enough."
And I chose piano
and I never regretted it.
Life was not easy in Latvia,
due to different reasons:
political, economical...
And my family left Latvia
during the time
of great uncertainties.
Many people were seeking refuge
in different countries.
And in my case,
in the case of my family,
we were very fortunate
that Canada accepted us
with open arms.
Central Band is participating
in a variety of musical events.
We play for the Prime Minister,
the Governor General.
We also support our troops
outside of Canada.
This summer, we are getting
ready for our exciting project:
Central Band is being
deployed to Latvia.
I will have a chance
to be with my teammates there
and share our culture
with Latvians.
I am pretty sure that
it will be an experience
that we will cherish
for the rest of our lives.
It is my first time
since I left Latvia.
And I am sure
I will be overwhelmed
by a variety of emotions.
For me, piano is
my preferred instrument.
It is my voice, it is
my way of self-expression.
As a musician,
you are always growing,
you are always evolving.
You study your whole life.
You never stop discovering
something new.
So for me,
music represents that:
the eternal source of knowledge.
♪