INTERVIEW: Nick Kendall brings along some friends to ‘Restart Stages’ at Lincoln Center
Photo: Time for Three, featuring Nick Kendall, will perform as part of the Continuum concerts at Lincoln Center. Photo courtesy of the band / Provided by Michelle Tabnick PR with permission.
New York theaters, encompassing Broadway, ballet, opera, orchestral music and so much more, are set to reopen in the coming weeks. To remind the public of the importance and impact of live arts, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has been hosting a series of performances under their Restart Stages banner. The next one comes courtesy of Nick Kendall, world-renowned violinist, who has curated a set of evenings called Continuum at Jaffe Drive.
Scheduled to perform on various nights are Steve Hackman, India Carney, Quan Ge, Qianqian Li, Cong Wu, Nathan Vickery, Michael Thurber, Jon Lampley, Amber Iman, Mark Dover, Becca Stevens, Nathan Schram and Kendall’s own group, Time for Three (TF3).
The performances are set for Aug. 16-20 at The Stage at Jaffe Drive in New York City. Lincoln Center promises “informal and spontaneous” collaborations at each performance of Continuum, with the common denominator being the exploration of how artists and audience members can connect during these difficult times. Tickets are free and available via a TodayTix lottery.
Kendall is an accomplished violinist who his best known for his work with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra and the aforementioned Time for Three. According to his official website, he was trained in the Suzuki method (more on that below), which was brought to the United States courtesy of his grandfather, John Kendall, in the 1960s.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Kendall about the upcoming performances at The Stage at Jaffe Drive. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can audiences expect at your Continuum performances this month?
I have designed each of these experiences to draw on what I love most about the performing arts — the vibe when one is truly willing to be in the moment and fully present for something truly great. When these ingredients come together, the most incredible human experience can take place between artist and audience. It doesn’t matter how many are in a space experiencing this “X” factor, but when it’s on, you can feel it. And it does something to the human condition, and it is totally beyond genre. I hope the Continuum community, both artists and audience, form a bond and enjoy the time together at these informal, but deeply artistic gatherings.
Will each evening be unique, and how much of the set will be spontaneous?
Each night will be a totally different sound, texture, instrumentation, storyline and vibe. But what will remain a constant is unexpected collaborations between seemingly unrelated genres, super polymath artists who all own the space they are in, and the music making and craft will be way beyond expectation. Expect the unexpected!
As a performer, has this pandemic been particularly difficult because of no live audiences?
It has been a drought for the soul.
Has the delta variant and the rising cases changed any plans?
In general, COVID has complicated everything for the business of putting on live shows. I don’t need to get into the obvious, but basically all systems have been broken. And there are few who are left to take on the job of many, and those that are doing so are true heroes in my book! The delta variant has definitely put us all on edge. So much planning has gone into everything, and as a team, we know the ground can shift at any moment. I will say a silver lining has been that everyone is coming together, and in times of stress and challenge, the strong teams know how to persevere. I am lucky that I have such a team at Lincoln Center and in my artist community.
When did you first start playing the violin?
When I was 3-1/2 years old. So, I have been playing for 40 years.
When you say you’re trained in the Suzuki method, what does that exactly mean? Could you explain for anyone who is new to the violin?
What this means is that my introduction to the violin, and music, at the age of 3-1/2 years old, was through the Suzuki method. The Suzuki method was founded by the famous pedagogue Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, in Japan, and in fact it was never meant to produce professional musicians. It is a way for young people to learn many skills and disciplines through music, often yielding life lessons that become a bedrock as these youngsters mature in age.
For myself, being a Suzuki kid meant nurturing my imagination, listening skills, creativity and my love for playing with others. A hallmark trait of the method is playing in group classes. My folks never meant for me to be a professional musician. It was a positive after-school activity for myself and my sister to engage in when we were young. It also helped that our grandfather, John Kendall, was the pioneer of the Suzuki method outside of Japan, bringing the method to the United States for the first time, then consequently, the rest of the world. So obviously, there was a deep-rooted connection to it in our home. I was a Suzuki kid for about 10 years, after which it became clear that music would become my profession.
What does the future hold for your career?
The pandemic forced a real change in my craft and inspired a lot of innovation. I ended up scoring an entire soundtrack with my band Time for Three for Robin Wright’s directorial debut film, Land. This was unexpected, and I had to learn the technique quickly. But the end result was really amazing and definitely charted a new course for creative output. Also, Continuum is just beginning, and I have three more years to curate and collaborate with Lincoln Center on bringing more creative productions to its stages and community. Obviously, performing remains my favorite mode of living through music, and it still ignites a continual passion to connect with others through my instrument.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Continuum at Jaffe Drive, curated by Nick Kendall, will be presented Aug. 16-20 at The Stage at Jaffe Drive, as part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Restart Stages initiative. Tickets are free and available via the TodayTix lottery. Click here for more information.
