Kalena Bovell

Hello, friend! How are you?

Oh, it's so nice to see you, too.

Yeah, that's what they tell me, supposedly. [Laughs]

Um I want to say, yeah, that's about right. About 10 to 12 years. Um and then professionally, I have been in the business professionally, this is my fifth year now.

Mhm.

Oh. You know, that's that's a good really good question. Um so, you know, I think one of the greatest things about my journey was being able to study with my teacher at the Hartt School, Edward Cumming. Um you know, I came to classical music very late. I started playing the violin when I was 11 years old. Didn't have my first lesson until I was 18. So, I was 7 years self-taught. And people kind of looked at me in that. One, because I was late to classical music, a lot of people thought, well, it's too late for you. And also because I was al- always the older undergrad. I mean, I graduated college when I believe I was 26 or 27. And it was around that age that I started becoming serious about conducting. People kind of thought, well, you know, being a 28-year-old conductor, if you haven't done anything now, then it's it's far too late. But you know, I was very persistent, I was determined, um and so I remember going to audition for my teacher, and I still remember this actually, because I got into Hartt, and we had this conversation. And I basically I asked him, I said, "What made you take that chance on me?" And he said, "Well, Mr. Mueller had this rule." So he studied with Otto-Werner Mueller at Yale, and he said, "Mr. Mueller had this rule. Conductor had to have two things: a good heart and really good ears." And he said, "I looked at you, and you had a really great heart." He said, "But your ears wasn't that good." [Laughs] And I said, "Okay, so what made you change your mind?" He said, "Well, I saw you conduct, and then I realized, no, I had to take this student."

Okay.

Exactly. [Laughs] No, you know, Edward was all about structure and knowing the form of a piece. I mean, hi- his Beethoven was great because Mr. Muel- Mr. Mueller was so kind of strict about how his students learned Beethoven and how they learned structure and how they were able to just kind of recall everything. When it came to the movements, because we all have a different physicality, you know, Edward would say, "What works for me is not going to work for you." And so we need to find something that will work for you. I mean, yes, we did work on the foundational things of conducting and how do I move my hands, how do I show these gestures, but it was less about trying to make me a copy of him and more of trying to take Kalena and find Kalena the conductor.

Okay.

Oh, that's a really great question. You know, I think it comes from a lot, one of reading, getting to know what the composer was thinking, feeling, going through in their life when they wrote a certain piece. Um but then I think it's also about looking inward and seeing how you also can relate to either what that composer was going through, what's in the music, and trying to find the humanistic kind of aspects of what's in that music in order to bring it to life. So I mean, I'm actually studying Shostakovich 5 right now, and I've been doing a lot of reading about Shostakovich, what was happening in his life during that time, and you know, kind of trying to see, well, what's going on in my life currently, and just how if there are any similarities or differences, and just how I can really kind of get into his psyche. I mean, I think it's it's all about constantly searching for knowledge.

Mhm.

Mhm.

Mhm.

Oh, that's definitely true. And you know, it's interesting, I I was a participant at the Cabrillo Festival this past summer and got to study with Cristian Măcelaru, and Cristian would say, to me and to a lot of the other fellows, that he he could see us thinking really hard, you know, but he's like, "It's not translating to your hands." And he said, "The only way for it to get into your hands is through your heart. And to get it from your heart to your hands is through the mouth by singing." And so I realized, aha, I need to sing much more. But Cristian would say when he's on the podium, he sings so loudly in his head that he often doesn't hear the orchestra. But I think what he's trying to say is that if you really sing what you want, the articulations, the phrasing, really have that kind of sound world, sonic world in your mind, then you're so convicted that the orchestra has no choice but to kind of go along with your vision.

Mhm.

Mhm.

Mhm.

Oh, I would hope so, because I'm definitely not that type of conductor. You know, it's like I truly believe in collaboration, and I also am always mindful that I don't make sound. You know, if I am not standing in front of a group and I wave wave my arms into a pattern, it's silence. You know, and I also acknowledge that most people in the orchestra have probably been in that orchestra longer than I've been alive, which means they have wisdom, they have knowledge. And I think everyone in an ensemble should have ownership of the music-making process. So yes, I'm going to have my vision, and hopefully what I've spent hours and weeks and months on works. But if not, I'm going to try different ways. And I might say, "You know what? What do you guys think about this phrase?" or "How do you..." You know, it's it's not about me. It's about the collective whole coming to create as close as possible to what that composer wanted.

Yeah.

Mhm.

You know, that's a that's a that's actually a good question. I've never actually thought about it. Um i will s- I will say that, so I I conducted my first opera in Toronto this past summer. And the orchestra— yes, Treemonisha by Scott Joplin. And the orchestra was on the stage. And so, one, that was already kind of changing the aesthetic because we're so used to orchestras being in the pit, right? Um and so, we're they were on the stage. And then, of course, I walk out, and because of kind of the world that we created with this work, it was kind of this other thing of, oh wow, here's someone who's kind of opening or creating this aesthetic world. And I think we can almost look at that's what the concert setting is now, you know, in terms of, yes, the concertmaster walks out to symbol or to signal the concert's about to start. And I think when the conductor walks out, it's kind of, for me at least, it's inviting people into this sonic journey that they're about to hear. Because again, it's not about me, look at me, I'm taking the podium, it's about, no, come join me as I take you on this journey. And but I will say I would love for the attire to be different. I mean, I would love for people to feel welcomed inside the concert hall. I would love for us to or for most or I know most organizations do wear tails, which is great, but I mean, I think I think it kind of perpetuates the elitism that people think classical music is.

Mhm.

You know, it's it's a little bit of both, to be quite honest. Um I'm actually I'll be conducting in Switzerland in about a month, um and the program is Alma Mahler's Five Songs, Anna Clyne's Within Her Arms, and then Tchaikovsky 5. And that program was one that I got to curate. And absolutely, I'm so excited about that program because really, I'm taking the person on a humanistic journey, you know? Um but there are other organizations where it's honestly been, "Okay, send me your rep list and here's the concerto, and then we will pick something around that, and then, okay, here you go." So it really does depend on the organization as to how much freedom I have or don't have. But either way, I'm just excited to work with, you know, musicians and and just kind of get to know a community. So I'm always happy to do anything.

Oh, Michael, that's such a hard question. You know, [Laughs]

Oh, okay. So, this is not This is the easy question. So, there is a conductor by the name of Edwin Outwater, who is like my hero because he will conduct Metallica one day and then do Brahms the next. And I mean, I love death metal music. So if I could go on tour with like Evanescence or Metallica or just like be that death metal band's conductor and then 3 weeks later go and conduct a like Beethoven symphony, oh I'd be happy. Like that is honestly my dream. [Laughs]

Oh, it's so good. There's so there's so many melodic aspects to it. It's I'll send you some stuff. It's great. [Laughs]

Originally. And at this point, I just kind of hold the instrument.

Mhm.

Mhm.

That's actually a great question. I don't have a lot of chamber music experience, to be quite honest. Uh so, in my—

Oh, of course. No, I mean, to be honest with you, I obviously, you can't take back or undo the past, but I do wish that my parents and I knew more about classical music and knew more about what the steps were when you had a child who was as serious as I was about music. You know, so, my being 7 years self-taught was because my parents— no one told my parents, "Okay, there are uh enrichment programs, the private teachers, you know, there are music studios that you could go to, there are summer programs." We didn't know any of those things. And so, it was just kind of like, "Well, she's she's loving what she's doing in middle school and high school, so that's enough." I mean, even when it came to a quality instrument, no one said, "Well, having a higher quality instrument makes all the difference when it comes to sound production." My I remember, I mean, because my mom my first instrument was from the Fingerhut catalog, and I'm sure most of your viewers will not know what the Fingerhut catalog is, but my first violin was $200 from Fingerhut catalog and it sounded like firewood, but I was so proud of that instrument. But you can also imagine how much I struggled on that instrument.

Uh my first instrument? I think I was 12 or 13. And so, when I got to college, it was really just trying to rebuild or build actually foundations because a lot I had developed a lot of bad habits because I hadn't had a teacher before. And so, I have played two chamber music pieces total in my entire career as a violinist.

Oh, that's a really great question.

Um, you know, I think so. I think because words have a rhythm, and obviously rhythm has is is, excuse me, music has rhythm. And I know that when I approach um learning scores, I always try to create a story, you know, so that I know what's happening in every single section, so that I can really take the person on this journey. But no, I I definitely think it has influence and that has also helped me as a conductor and a musician.

Mhm.

I have not.

Mhm.

Yeah.

No, but it's so but it's so true, yeah.

Oh, and it's you know, it's so interesting you say that because I was looking at the second movement today which, you know, at the beginning to me is is like a chorale or like a prayer.

And then you have to think about the balance and how far do you really go for the crescendi and how much do you really back away. I mean, there's so many things in every single bar, and y- you have to really kind of decide how you want to phrase, one, the micro but then the macro.

Mhm.

Okay.

Oh, that's right. Yes.

Yeah, so this was a reimagined version, um orchestrated for it so it was orchestrated for nine players and it ended up being 10, um and it was done by Jessie Montgomery and Jannina Norpoth. And so, basically, it was for string quintet. Uh we had clarinet, trumpet, we had kora, and then we also had a traditional, I guess West African percussion player.

Mhm.

So, for actually that, hm, trying to think about this. I believe he orchestrated the a PV, or he the PV was completed.

But it Yeah, the Sor- the piano-vocal was completed. Um and so, the orchestrations that we hear are basically people taking from the piano-vocal.

He never did the he never orchestrated. It was just a piano-vocal score.

Oh, most definitely. And you know, it's I mean, most people know the Gunther Schuller uh orchestration that he did with Houston Grand Opera, I believe in the '70s. Um, and you know, what—

Yes, and what was really great about our version was, you know, the second act is completely new music, and it was written by Jessie and Jannina. And so, the first act is all Joplin, and the third act is a juxtaposition juxtaposition of Jessie and Jannina's ideas with Joplin's. And so, we really created this story that was relatable to what's going on in current times. And, you know, what I loved about this, which some people may not, is that we had some people who walked out of our performance, which I think is actually great, because that means that we were making people think, and it means that we were making people uncomfortable, because we were having conversations on stage that most people don't have in life.

Mhm.

Pretty much, yeah. [Laughs] Pretty much, right?

Ooh, we used to listen to Celia Cruz, uh Al Green, Marvin Gaye, El General, um, who else, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston. Yeah, it was a lot of R&B, soul. Also, my dad loves Bob Marley, so it was a lot of Bob Marley in my house as well.

Yeah, but no, I I never listened to classical until I started playing violin.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you, and thank you for having me. And we will do this again, but, you know, not not having let many months pass.