Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Kendra Preston with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I got it in part from being a horse kid and in part from focusing on being a professional musician. Horse kids–by which I mean the kids who take lessons, hang out at the barn, trade doing barn chores for rides, and/or lease or own a horse, and are responsible for the welfare of the horses they take care of and for keeping the tack and barn clean and in good order–learn to work hard. I was a horse kid before I started playing the cello, and the self-discipline I learned from it helped make learning to practice the cello easier. As a performer, your work ethic shows up in how you play: listeners know whether you’ve put the time in, and whether you used that time to practice in an effective way. I was also influenced by my parents; my dad was self-employed, and he’d be at his desk in our house every morning at eight, working. His day was just like anyone else’s day at the office, except for that his office was in the house. My mom, too, had a strong work ethic, and I saw that modeled as she took classes, developed workshops and programs, and stuck to things even when they were difficult. My personal work philosophy is Sit Down and Write. Writing is work–I can’t wait for a muse or to be in just the right mood–and it helps that I love writing.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I write the words for operas, musicals, and songs, and I do research on the history of music. I trained as a cellist but ended up getting a condition that affects my joints and makes it painful for me to play, so I switched gears to being involved in music in other ways. In writing the texts for new music, I work with composers and singers all over the world. Sometimes a composer approaches me with an idea of a new piece they want to collaborate on, sometimes I have an idea and reach out to a composer about it, and sometimes I’m contacted by a singer who wants me to write them a new song or song cycle. We discuss topics and themes, and then I get to writing. When I’m done, the composer writes music for the text. The best part of this work is when I hear someone sing my words for the first time. It always gives me chills. I’m also a scholar, working mainly on women in music and music for film. I run the Silent Film Sound and Music Archive, and do a lot of research and give a lot of academic talks on music for early movies as well as on other topics in music history and theory.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Do your homework. Research what you want to do and what you’re trying to do, so that you know every detail about it and how it works. When I wrote my libretto Marie Curie Learns to Swim, an opera with composer Jessica Rudman, I read biographies of the Curie family, and their’ own writings, and I learned all of the necessary scientific language and ideas so that I could portray them well, and use the kind of language they used. I consulted with singers about what words or phrases would be easier to sing, and what terms wouldn’t work well for sung text.
Be persistent. Keep at what you are doing, and do it consistently. If a door closes, find another door, or make another door. I’m always seeking out opportunities for my work to be performed, so I’m always reaching out to potential performers, venues, and arts organizations that are good fits for my work.
Be compassionate and responsible. Be kind to the people you work with, be willing to listen to others’ points of view, communicate openly and often and with care. Meet deadlines. Be responsive. When I write lyrics or libretti, I leave my ego at the door; there is nothing in my writing so precious that I can’t change it to make it better for a performer or other collaborator, for example, if a singer is uncomfortable with text I’ve written, for any reason, I’ll change it. If a performer has asked for a piece about joy, I write that–I don’t give them one about gloom; if a collaborator and I agree to create a 20-minute piece, I don’t give them text that will run an hour.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always open to new collaborations! If you are a composer of opera, musicals, or songs, visit my website at kendraprestonleonard.hcommons.org, and look at what I’ve done in the past. If you feel you’re a good fit, feel free to contact me through the contacts listed there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kendraprestonleonard.hcommons.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k_leonard_phd/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kendraprestonleonard/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-leonard-b68aa0225/
Image Credits
Karl Rufener, Lisa Neher
